High School DxD: City of Heavenly Fire
by ShadowFuh
Summary: The top-ranked exorcist of the Church and his Divine Generals have been framed for the murder of one of the Church's leaders and is being hunted by every exorcist. What's worse is that he lost his memories and is stranded from his Generals. Will his Generals be able to find him in time to discover why they were framed?Or will they watch the world burn in flames as the Devil returns
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note - Story idea I've been thinking of but I think the execution might be a bit poor. Any form of criticism would be greatly appreciated and if you like the story, please stick around as I try to be a better writer. Anyways, it's my first story so I hope you enjoy :)**

 **1**

Rias always loved spending the morning to herself, at least before everyone came in for the day. However today she wasn't alone. The crimson haired ruined princess sat with her legs crossed, across from the Student Body President Sona Sitri. The two had agreed to play a game of chess before school started, a rare occasion for the two childhood friends to catch up now that everything's changed.

"Akeno, can you prepare us some tea?" Rias asked, moving her pieces. "I have a feeling Issei and the others will be here soon."

Sona smirked. "You know, I still can't believe you wasted all of your Pawns on that child." She moved her bishop. "Your peerage is quite the collection, every one of them is unique, but this new pawn of yours…"

"As you said," Rias smirked. "Unique. I see an unimaginable amount of potential in him. Who knows Sona, he might surprise the both of us."

Sona scoffed. "We'll see Rias."

"So why did you decide to pay me a visit today? I'm sure hoping that it was just to spend some time with an old friend, but something tells me differently."

Akeno returned with a tea kettle and two cups. "Whatever the reason," Akeno said. "It sure is nice to have you around again."

"There's been a rumor going around the Underworld lately," Sona started. "The Holy Church had a recent…incident. Apparently there was a coup, against the current Paladin."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "The Paladin? Why would the church want to overthrow the highest ranked exorcist in their ranks?"

"Your guess is as good as mine but," Sona took a sip of her tea. "He has followers, anyone with that much authority and influence is bound to amass followers. Someone with his skills and abilities, he was able to get away unscathed. He fled from the Church's capture and they've put out an alert to all factions for his arrest and captured alive. I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough."

Rias couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew how powerful and influential the Holy Church was. Their Paladin is their most powerful asset, an exorcist risen through the ranks to become the most influential figure in the Vatican. He can easily stand on the same ground as the Four Satans or the Archangels. Rias didn't know who the current Paladin was, seeing as they were just appointed just a year ago, but she knew he had to be someone special because they were recommended by the Archangels and several high ranking angels in Heaven.

"Anything on his whereabouts?" Akeno asked.

"Currently completely unknown," Sona stood up at just the right time, as the doors of the club room opened and Issei, Asia, and Koneko walked in. "Don't forget, your brother will probably notify your soon about the current situation, either that or my sister."

"Good morning, President." Issei said. "Were you and the Prez having a meeting? I hope we didn't interrupt."

"Oh no," Rias said. "We were just having a little game of chess, which she lost." Rias smirked.

"If you say so," Sona said. "I look forward to how this plays out Rias. See you later everyone."

Sona walked away from everyone to their confusion. "Is everything okay, Prez?" Asia asked.

"Oh nothing Asia," Akeno smiled and reassured her. "Are you three hungry? I can cook us up something good."

 **…**

Issei, having absolutely no plans after school and having no club meeting, walked with Asia home. Ever since the battle against Raynare, it feels like Issei was a new man. He's been discovering new powers because of his Boosted Gear. Akeno's been helping him learn to control magic, Kiba's been teaching he and Asia about the history of Devils and their relations with other Factions.

"Hey Asia," Issei asked. "Are you hungry?"

"Huh? Yeah, a little bit I suppose." Asia raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you, Issei-San?"

"Yeah," Issei said. "Do you wanna go get a bite to eat? Maybe some ramen? I'll pay."

Asia lit up like a Christmas tree. "Y-You mean like a…like a…a date?"

Issei smiled. "Yeah, I suppose."

The two of them walked into the city and to find a ramen shop. The inner city of Kuoh was crowded, almost always. Kuoh is a big tourist city, being in the middle of both Tokyo and Kyoto, so they had millions in the city at a time. Issei grew up in Kuoh, but he never liked going so far into the city because of the people. He knew he'd get lost, but at least this time he has Asia.

They had arrived at Issei's favorite ramen shop. It was on the way to the center of the city. There plenty of people around the shop, but it wasn't as many as Issei feared. However there was someone standing in front of the shop that caught Issei's eye.

"Um, excuse me," Asia beat him to the punch. "Are you okay? Is there anything we can help you with?"

Issei finally got a clearer look at the person. He was a man in his early twenties, maybe late teens? He had medium length white hair with a single braid over his shoulder. He wore a long white cloak over a teal dress shirt and black combat pants. He looked like a foreigner much like Asia, but he was different. He was much more…mysterious.

He turned to face them, his sky blue eyes full of worry. "Oh, hello. Sorry, I just arrived in the city and seem to have lost my wallet. I haven't eaten anything all day…" He rubbed his stomach as it growled.

Issei smiled awkwardly. "Would you care to join us? We were just about to head in."

"Are you sure?" He asked, with a trace of an English accent. "I wouldn't dare to be such a burden on you."

"No it's okay," Issei smiled. "You look like you need help."

The foreigner ate ferociously like a a rapid animal. He easily went through five bowls of char siu ramen like it was nothing, and he was still going. Issei and Asia sat across from him. "Um…" Asia said.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. How rude of me." He placed the sixth bowl down and smiled. "I am Seijuro. Hibiki Seijuro. I'm very sorry about all of this, hopefully I can pay you back one day…" He began to search his pockets and body for something. "Ah! Here we go." He reached out and placed an object in front of Issei and Asia. "Here you go. Consider it a little gift, for your generosity. I would have starved out there if it wasn't for you."

"A pocket watch?" Issei picked up the pocket watch. It was a silver pocket watch with a chain attached to it. The face of the watch had a cross on it, designed rather weirdly. The horizontal line was actual a picture of a snake or dragon eating it's own tail…what was it called again? An Ouroboros? And the vertical line was of a sword pointing down. He'd never seen such a cross design before. Strangely, it didn't hurt to touch. He'd learned that Devils can't get near anything holy, crosses included. Why didn't this hurt?

"To tell you the truth," Seijuro said. "I can't seem to remember anything other then my name. I don't know how I wounded up in this city or what I was doing prior. Luckily you two were there. I don't really know what that pocket watch really is, but it seems to be one of the few possessions I have on hand so, please accept it as a sign of my gratitude."

"Oh no," Issei pleaded. "We can't accept this, not when you don't remember anything."

"Please," The man bowed his head. "I cannot thank you enough for your generosity."

Issei looked nervously at Asia. If he really did lose his memory, maybe they should get him to a hospital? He looked perfectly fine, even if his clothing was a bit strange.

"Um, I've been meaning to ask," Asia said. "Are you from the church? I recognize that pendant on your cloak. It's the Saint's emblem, a Fleur-de-lis. It's worn by high ranking members of the Holy Church."

"Asia, how do you know this?" Issei asked her.

"They taught us all of this at the church where I stayed at as a child," Asia smiled. "You must be important if you're wearing it."

Seijuro examined the emblem. "Is it now…I can't remember anything at all. It's like a thick fog that I can't break through, and when I try…it's like I end up exactly where I started."

Issei caved. "Would you like us to help you around town? Help you find a hotel maybe?"

"Oh no, I can't impose on you like that after letting you pay for my meal." Seijuro replied.

"It's really no bother," Asia smiled. "If you are a man of the church, it's only our obligation to help."

Issei realized that this could be a horrible idea. The last time he reached out to a stranger, he got killed and Reincarnated into a Devil. Rias had explicitly warned him not to go near the Church or be associated with any of their members, but he had intentionally disobeyed her and got involved with Asia. As a result Rias gained a new member to her peerage and Issei made a close friend, but it could have been so much worse.

Issei paid for the ramen and the three of them exited the store. They ventured deeper into the city to look for hotels, which Issei didn't like but he had already made a commitment to help Seijuro.

"Hibiki-San," Asia said. "You really don't remember anything?"

Issei thought it was weird. Asia seemed really interested in Seijuro. It didn't bother Issei, at least not that much, but it made Issei feel like she missed her old life. Asia was a nun, a member of the Holy Church before Raynare killed her and she was reincarnated into a Devil like Issei. Maybe she did miss her old life, she was just plucked away from everything.

"It's all a blur," Seijuro said, smiling. "I wish I could remember. Maybe I had family waiting for me, or friends looking for me."

"Do you think they'll come to Kuoh looking for you?" Issei asked.

"Maybe," Seijuro said. "I hope so, maybe then I'll remember more about myself."

Issei got a better look at Seijuro now that he was out and walking. He was of average height, around 5'9". He had an aura about him. Even with amnesia he seemed carefree, smiling and laughing as he saw new things around him. Yet despite his carefree attitude, he seemed confident in himself. This confidence exuded in his eyes, it was almost contagious because Issei could feel it in his body. Like a shot of adrenaline to his heart, he felt like he could do anything.

They finally stopped in the commercial district of the city, where there were hotels left and right. "It's getting late," Seijuro said. "Maybe you two should get home. I'll be find from here on out."

"Are you sure?" Issei asked. "It won't be much of a hassle."

"No it's okay, really," Seijuro smiled, then bowed. "I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Issei blushed, but Asia smiled and nudged him. The two of them bowed in return. "Hopefully we see you around sometime, Hibiki-San." Issei smiled.

"See you again Hibiki-San," Asia bowed.

The two of them walked away as Seijuro waved goodbye.

 **…**

Issei had a weird dream that night. Storm clouds covering the city of Kuoh, darkening the skies and the blotting out the sun. Flashes of light glittered in the sky that caught Issei's attention. At first he thought that they were fireworks, but it was soon clear to see that they were sparks created from clashes from two weapons…and there were a lot of them.

Issei saw a flash image of a sword. It was a long medieval looking sword with a sharp point at the bottom of the handle. There were several overlays on the actual blade, painted blue and silver with a golden gem at the center of the hilt. It was a beautiful looking sword that mesmerized Issei, but it looked dangerous at the same time. He had the same feeling in the pit of his stomach, like the time he was standing in front of the church before he met Asia.

Flashes of light filled the sky, arrows rained from the heavens. Suddenly it hit Issei like a brick to the face. There were Devils, everywhere. He was eager to see more from this dream, but then a ringing became apparent and snapped him awake.

Issei shot up in his bed with a jolt of energy. His left forearm was throbbing in pain. Ever since his Boosted Gear was awakened, everything felt different. He felt a much more powerful burst of energy every morning, in addition to his already enhanced abilities as a Devil, this additional burst from the Boosted Gear felt like he was on steroids and on a high.

He looked at his alarm clock. It was 3 in the morning. Why did his alarm clock go off at 3 in the morning. Issei scratched the back of his head as his door crept open and Asia came through, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Issei-San? Is everything okay?"

Before he could answer, his phone began to vibrate. Issei checked his phone to see a text message from Kiba. He sighed and got out of bed. "Get dressed Asia. We have a Stray Devil to take care of."

"Right now?" She asked. "It's so early."

"Yeah, sorry," Issei smiled.

Asia turned around and hit her head on the door frame. "Ow!" She rubbed her head as she closed the door and returned to her room. Issei got dressed met up with Asia downstairs.

Kiba had texted him the address of where they were supposed to meet up. It was an old abandoned church in the downtown district of Kuoh, right near the border of the town and the forest. It was 3 in the morning so it must have been an important Stray Devil.

The streets of Kuoh were creepy at night. The normally busy and crowded streets of the commercial city were now empty. It was like a ghost town in here. Asia was behind Issei the entire time, scared and holding onto Issei as they walked through the streets.

They turned the corner and arrived at the abandoned church. Standing in front of the church were Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and a new person Issei didn't recognize. She was around Asia's height, with long black velvet hair tied into twin tails. She was wearing a dark suit with a skirt and turned to look at Issei and Asia with violet eyes.

"Issei, Asia, you're here," Rias smiled. "Sorry to call you out so late. I wouldn't if it was important."

"What's going on Prez?" Issei asked.

"Before that," Rias said. "I'd like you to meet Serafall Leviathan, Satan of the Underworld and a friend of mine. Lady Leviathan, this is my pawn, Hyoudou Issei, and my bishop, Asia Argento. They're newly reincarnated."

Lady Leviathan smiled and walked towards Issei and Asia. "Hello you two. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Issei blushed. She was cute, seriously cute. "L-Likewise."

Asia pinched his elbow and he winced. She had a pouty face and pinched harder.

Rias smiled. "Allow me to explain the situation. We've recently gotten word from the Holy Church that there a few Stray Devils staying in the city. They've had a recent…incident, so we're doing this as a sign of good faith for them."

"This Devil is nothing to mess around with," Lady Leviathan added. "We don't know much about it, it's practically a complete unknown. We know almost nothing about it besides it's completely unstable and dangerous."

In the darkness of the shadows, from within the church, Issei heard a growl. "What…the hell, was that?" Issei gulped.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Rias smirked.

The group ventured inside and opened the doors. There wasn't any sign of light inside. The darkness was unrelenting. Issei thought that his night vision as a Devil could be able to break through the darkness, but he couldn't see a thing.

"Akeno, light it up." Rias ordered.

Akeno held out her hand as several magic circles opened up. They expanded outwards and landed in every corner of the room, then lit up with flames like a makeshift torch. Issei finally saw the layout of the room, and almost dropped on his butt when he saw the "Devil".

Sitting in the far wall of the church was a lion, a large (very large) lion with a long tail and a heavy mane. It let out a menacing, very intimidating roar that created a shockwave that pushed the group back, save for Lady Leviathan.

"Is that what I think it is," Rias gulped.

"The Nemean Lion," Lady Leviathan smirked. "I thought Hercules killed it ages ago, who would have thought it was still alive."

"Kiba-Kun, Koneko-Chan," Lady Leviathan ordered. "circle it to keep a perimeter. Rias-Chan and Akeno-Chan block the exit. Asia stay with Akeno and Issei-Kun, you and I are gonna take this thing in a fight."

"Uh…what?" Issei wanted to turn tail and run. He read about the Nemean Lion. It's hide is as thick as steel, nothing could pierce it's skin. How was he going to be able to do anything to it.

Lady Leviathan swiftly launched a magic attack. She opened a magic circle and shot multiple projectiles of ice shards at the lion, but they just shattered on contact. "Heh…interesting."

Suddenly, an explosion propelled Issei forward. Smoke entered the building from the front door where they had entered from. "Everybody on your feet!" Lady Leviathan shouted.

Something flew through the smoke and passed everybody, and appeared in front of the lion. Lady Leviathan released an enormous amount of magic pressure and all the smoke dissipated. Issei got to his feet, getting a clear look at who had entered the fight. It was someone in a large white cloak, with a hood covering their head. That cloak…why did it seem so familiar.

"Who are you?" Rias demanded.

The figure removed their hood, revealing the face of a beautiful girl. She had long pale blonde hair tied into a pony tail. She had sky blue eyes and stared at the group with a smirk of arrogance. Her cloak was long but when she removed her hood, she revealed what she was wearing underneath. It was a skin tight battle wear, black with a sword strapped to her side.

"Sorry friends," She smirked. "Nemea is ours. I'm afraid I can't let you kill her."

"Take a look," Lady Leviathan glared at the new arrival. "You're outnumbered. What can you do?"

A flash of light heralded a volley of arrows. Lady Leviathan jumped back to avoid it and arrived next to Issei. Issei realized that someone must have gotten through in that smokescreen.

"Those arrows," Akeno noted. "Hard light. But that's…"

"The Epirus Bow." Lady Leviathan said. "So you're Exorcists. Seeing as you would defy me, I'm guessing you're rogues."

The girl showed her hands and opened them. A handle appeared from thin air as overlays made from hard light materialized, combining into a two daggers, each about the size of Issei's forearms.

"Wait a minute," Rias got to her feet and joined Issei and Lady Leviathan. "I know those daggers…So you're the Harbinger of Light. And your friend in the shadows, wielding the Eprius Bow, the Archer of Aurora I'm guessing? Two of the Holy Church's most powerful and well established Exorcists, gone rogue."

The Harbinger of Light prepared for battle. "Sorry but we're actually looking for someone. We don't have time to get involved with the Devils right now."

Issei was about to step forward, when an arrow shot from the darkness right where his foot was. "You're not getting out of here without a fight." Rias said. "We have questions for you."

"Good luck with that," The Harbinger smirked. "Tsu-Kun, if you'd please."

A figure landed from behind her and in front of the lion. In a blinding speed, the figure shot an arrow that flew past everybody and landed outside. The figure and the Nemean Lion disappeared, right before their eyes. The Harbinger of Light crossed her arms and propelled forward, knocking Lady Leviathan down and landed beside Issei. "The Red Dragon Emperor, interesting." She smirked as she disappeared, leaving the House of Gremory and Lady Leviathan in the empty church, with more questions then answers.


	2. Chapter 2

**HeartzAreBlack - Thank you so much. I really appreciate your input and I hope my ideas live up to your expectations.**

 **2**

The Harbinger of Light, the silly title that the higher ups at Vatican City gave her. She always hated the flashy titles that they were given. Harbinger of Light, Archer of Aurora, God of Retribution…Divine Supremacy.

"Yuuki, can you do something about Nemea? I think…she's hungry."

Tachibana Yuuki turned around and faced her partner, Inui Tsukasa as the great Nemean Lion of myth pounced on him and licked his face. Yuuki laughed and held her stomach. "Nemea really likes you, c'mon just play with him."

"We have a mission to do, don't be ridiculous." Tsukasa struggled as the 500 pound mythical lion continued to lick his face.

Yuuki smiled and walked over, stroking Nemea's mane until she got off of Tsukasa and curled up on the ground. "I will never understand how you can tame her so easily. You two are always so close." Tsukasa got on his feet and wiped the dirt off of his bottom.

She smirked and walked to the edge of the roof after Nemea fell asleep. She scratched the back of her head and pulled her pale blonde hair back. "Do we have any idea where he is?"

"In the commercial district," Tsukasa said, joining her by the edge. "We were lucky, flashing him here. The city's number of Devils and magic in the area masked his arrival. I'm hoping he was able to blend in, but without his memories…"

"I know Tsu-Kun," Yuuki said. "Do you have the whereabouts of the others?"

Tuskasa shook his head. "After we flashed him here, everyone was scattered. I don't know where they went and the only one who does has no recollection of who he is or why he's here. We have to find him, soon."

"Yeah before these freaking Devils find him," Yuuki sighed and crossed her arms. "The last thing we need is the Divine Supremacy falling into their hands. It'll just mean that the bastards from the Vatican…"

Tsukasa turned to Yuuki. "Yuuki, what is it?"

Yuuki narrowed her eyes. "The Church…who would they send to hunt us?"

"Obviously they'd try to get Lord Dulio or Lady Griselda," Tsukasa said.

"Yeah they would, but that would mean leaving Heaven unprotected, no…they would send people who know us. Are familiar with our tactics and strategies…" Yuuki didn't like where her train of thought was leading her.

"What are you getting onto?"

"Think about it Tsu-Kun," Yuuki said, pacing back and forth. "Aside from the five of us, who were the only ones who ever went on missions with Sei-Chan? Who were the only two that he ever _let_ go on missions with him."

Tsukasa seemed to finally realize it. Yuuki remembered back in the Vatican, when Sei-Chan was first appointed as Paladin, he rarely ever went out on missions. While the five of them were busy with other garrisons around the world, Sei-Chan was stuck in the Vatican doing paperwork or going to meetings. Whenever he went on missions, usually very high ranking and scary dangerous, he usually went with two Exorcists that were always around the Vatican.

"If they send those two," Tsukasa said. "and the truth gets out about what the Church did, those two will effectively be sacrificial pawns. They'll die."

"And you think those assholes care?" Yuuki asked. "They'll kill whoever they want to get what they want. We have to hurry," Yuuki pulled out a pocket watch from pocket. A silver pocket watch that Sei-Chan had given them, all five of them when he found them all. Yuuki remembered what her life was like before Sei-Chan had found her…she owed him her life. All of them do. "We have to find him, now. We don't have much time anymore."

 **…**

The tension in the Occult Research Club Room the following morning was deafening. Issei didn't know if he should move even a finger because everyone was dead serious. Rias and Akeno were reviewing information that Lady Leviathan had given them last night.

Issei still didn't exactly understand what had happened last night. An act of good favor for the Church…was to hunt down the Nemean Lion from Greek Mythology? And even then they seemed to have failed because it got away. Who were those people? Issei had never seen those people before, but they had such an intense aura of power around them. His arm, the Boosted Gear, was throbbing when they attacked. Those arrows, Rias had said it was made of hard light? They seemed to vanish after a few minutes…like fireworks. What did Rias and Lady Leviathan call them? The Harbinger of Light and the Archer of Aurora?

"Rias…" Akeno said, snapping the silence and drawing Issei, Kiba, Asia and Koneko's attentions towards the desk.

Rias sighed and stood up, walking to the front of the desk and leaned back. "I'm sure you're wondering what happened last night, and we've finally received official word from the higher ups."

"What happened?" Asia asked.

"There was a coup d'etat," Rias explained. "The current Paladin, appointed only a year ago, rebelled against the Vatican."

There was a moment of silence. Issei was completely at a loss for words. He knew almost nothing about the hierarchy of the Church but the Paladin seemed like an important person.

"He and his followers were able to escape, however the Paladin was apparently injured. Most of the heretics have been captured, however the Paladin's appointed "Generals" all evaded capture and are scattered across the world. We have reason to suspect that the Paladin is in Kuoh as of right now, and the two that we encountered last night are trying to get to him." Rias explained. "The Church would like our assistance, despite their better judgement, in helping them capture the Paladin and bringing him back to the Vatican. To do so, they have sent out two Exorcists to help us. They should arrive later tonight."

Issei looked to Asia, and it seems like she had the exact same idea. Hibiki Seijuro. That man definitely seemed odd, losing his memory but was still in the city. Was he the Paladin? He didn't seem like some powerful Exorcist on the run or scary or hostile in any way. Maybe it was because of his amnesia?

"Prez," Asia raised her hand. "How dangerous _is_ this person?"

"Well he's escaped Vatican City when it was on full lockdown, littered with top tier exorcists that are more than capable of handling their own in a fight, and is a figure these Divine Generals look up to and admire. We don't know the full extent of his abilities and skillset, but we know his reputation and the reputation of his Generals. Each and every single one of them is easily as powerful as a High Ranking Devil or Fallen Angel, and to imagine they would all bow down under one man and no one else is frightening."

"These Generals," Kiba said. "Do you know any of their names?"

"We do," Akeno replied, holding out her hand as several magic circles open and floated outward in a circle, rotating as images appeared with names underneath. "The Church is hesitant to share any information, but we have at least recovered the names of three of the five Generals."

The first image that stopped in the middle was of a girl with long pale blonde hair tied into a ponytail with black hairties. She had a confident smile and sky blue eyes that exuded optimism. She was cute, someone Issei would have liked to talk to.

"The Harbinger of Light, Tachibana Yuuki." Rias said. "Also known as the Hard Light Assassin, she's extremely dangerous in close range combat. More of an assassin than an Exorcist, her strengths rely on the use of a type of magic developed by her, Hard Light. Shaping light into constructs, the possibilities are endless as long as she understands what she's doing."

Issei recognized her. She was the girl from the Church yesterday, defending the Nemean Lion. Those daggers that appeared, they must have been made of Hard Light. They seemed to have materialized from thin air and combined together. It was impressive, but what scared him was her speed. She covered such a large amount of distance in the blink of an eye. And that name she called him…The Red Dragon Emperor. What's up with that?

"This is Inui Tsukasa," Rias continued. It was an image of a man in his early twenties. He had fairly long black hair tied back into a tail, however a few strands fell over his forehead. He had ominous black eyes and a mysterious vibe about him. Something about him, just from his appearance, gave Issei a chill down his spine. "Not much is known about his past, much like the other five, but we know he's a gifted marksman. His skill with the bow and arrow is pin point accurate, but he's gifted in every form of ranged weaponry. His most dangerous weapon at his disposal is the Epirus Bow, I'm sure you all remember what it could do."

"Compressed light infused with the user's own magic to construct arrows that isn't affected by gravity," Kiba explained, to Issei's surprise. "It'll go straight, until it comes in contact with it's target. But the arrows will dissipate after a few hours because it's made of light."

Issei got a look at Kiba's reaction. The blonde haired knight balled his fist and crumbled his pants. "Kiba? What's wrong?"

KIba's lips curved into a smile. "Nothing, Issei-Kun. I'm perfectly okay."

Issei wanted to press for more information, but Rias cut him off. "And this is the only other General we know of." An image of a girl with long silvery white hair appeared on the magic circle. She had a wide smile on her face and red eyes, like a deep wine. She had an eyepatch over her left eye, the band of they eyepatch covered her forehead and around her head. She had fair skin. Much like Yuuki, she was beautiful, but there was something about her much like Tsukasa. Something strange yet primal. "This is Endo Kasumi. She is a force of nature, pure destructive power that will destroy everything in her path. Her title…" Rias looked to Akeno then at her peerage. "The God of Retribution."

Issei gulped. That name by itself is scary enough. He thought that this Paladin would be powerful enough, but his Generals are a completely different thing. The Harbinger of Light, the Archer of Aurora, the God of Retribution. Those titles were given to them because of their abilities and skill sets. But then he remembered that he had a title as well…The Red Dragon Emperor.

"You guys should get to class, get through the rest of the day. Come here after school, maybe we'll have more information for you." Rias said.

Everyone dispersed and exited the club room. Koneko immediately went to the school building, but Issei and Asia caught up with Kiba. He was quiet, oddly quiet. "Kiba!" Issei placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay man? You seem distracted."

Kiba stopped, then turned around to face Issei and Asia. "Hey, Issei-Kun, Asia-Chan. Do you believe in fate?"

"Huh?" Asia asked.

Kiba scoffed. "Nothing, I suppose. Sorry to worry you guys, just a bit tired. I'll see you after school."

Issei and Asia stared as Kiba went into the school building, quiet and unnerving. "I wonder if he's okay…" Asia said, hands clapped together. "It's not like him to be so sad."

"Yeah…" Issei couldn't help but worry. He hadn't known Kiba for that long but the guy was always so cheerful and smiling. It was disturbing to see him like this.

"Hey, Issei-San," Asia said. "Hibiki-San…do you think he's-"

"I don't know Asia," Issei had thought about it too. He still had the pocket watch that Seijuro had given them. Is he really… "C'mon, we'd better get to class. We'll talk about it later."

"Should we tell Prez?" Asia asked.

"Not until we're sure…" Issei sighed.

 **…**

"God damn it, how am I lost again. I could have sworn I turned once…"

Seijuro scratched the back of his head as he looked around him. A busy intersection was filled with people crossing the street, billboards lit up the buildings like Christmas, and there were no cars in sight. It reminded him of the Tokyo crosswalk.

How did he even know that…had he been to Tokyo? How did he even remember if he had been there or not. Everything was so hazy. He couldn't sleep last night so he spent hours trying to remember anything…anything, but it was a complete blank. It was like he was standing, flat on the ground, surrounding a dense, thick fog. Everywhere he went, every time he tried to remember, he couldn't get past the fog. He couldn't remember a thing aside from his name, and he's not even sure if it's really his name.

The looks of the people who passed by him were like knives to his heart. Most were of admiration. He could see it in their eyes, as if they were checking him out or admiring how foreign he looked. It made sense anyway. A tall, white haired man with sky blue eyes among a sea of Japanese people. Clearly they would look. He had already changed his clothes and left the cloak he was wearing at home. He wore a white button up over a black T-shirt, the pants he was wearing yesterday and boots. Thankfully the hotel staff was able to supply him with new clothes. He was worried at first because he couldn't pay for any of it, but they said it was on the house.

"Hm? Do you need help stranger?"

Seijuro looked back and to his surprise, it was a man eating a bag of potato chips. He had spiky blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He had on a green fleece jacket and baggy pants.

"Uh, yeah sorry, I was just looking around the city and I forgot how to get back to my hotel." Seijuro smiled awkwardly.

"What's the name of your hotel?" The man asked, taking a bite of another chip.

"Endless, I think?" Seijuro tried to recollect.

"Oh, I can show you where that is. C'mon," The man gestured and Seijuro followed. It didn't feel right following along with a complete stranger like this, but after those two kids had helped him yesterday, he was beginning to open up to others. "Actually, we're going to go get some food before going back. How do you feel about McDonald's?"

It didn't really seem like he had a choice of what to say, because five minutes later the two were sitting in a booth, enjoying a meal that the man had bought him.

His appetite…was voracious. He wolfed down three entire combo orders before Seijuro even finished his fries. "What's wrong? Not hungry?" He asked Seijuro.

"No, it's just…Why are you helping me so much?" Seijuro asked.

"You looked like you needed help," The man raised an eyebrow. "Should I not help someone in need?"

"I don't even know your name," Seijuro said.

"Oh crap, my bad." The man laughed. He held out his fist for a bump. "I'm Dulio. Dulio Gesualdo. Nice to see you again, Hibiki Seijuro."

Seijuro bumped his fist, then realized what Dulio just said. "I…How…Have we met?"

"You probably don't remember, or you physically can't." Dulio smirked. "But don't worry, I meant it when I said I'm here to help. I'm a friend, Seijuro, don't worry."

Seijuro didn't know whether to not to trust him, but his gut told him to play along. Somehow he was calm, really calm. "You know what happened…why I can't remember anything."

Dulio nodded. "Your friends are looking for you, they're here."

"Here? In the city?" Seijuro felt a bulb light up in his head. "Where are they? Can you take me to them?"

Dulio finished his drink…his fifth drink. "I can do you one better. I can draw them to you." He smirked. "Sorry if you die…but a man of your expertise, you should be fine."

Seijuro narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Dulio smirked and closed his eyes. Before Seijuro could do anything, an explosion blew Seijuro to the side and knocked over the table beside them. The civilians inside scrambled and ran outside to escape. Seijuro recovered and rubbed his head. A wave of pain ran through his body from head to toe. He looked up to see Dulio, sitting there eating like nothing happened.

A figure landed outside on the street. It was a man dressed in an all black trench coat. He had beady red eyes and slicked back black hair. Seijuro widened his eyes in shock as the man sprouted ten wings…ten jet black wings as dark as midnight.

"You…" The man stared at Seijuro. "Your death will start something new, something grand. A war that will end with us on top."

The wings on his back whipped back and then forth, shooting feathers towards Seijuro. Somehow, instincts took over his body. Seijuro jumped to his right and grabbed a broken leg of the table he fell against. He needed a weapon…he imagined a weapon that would help him. A sword? Maybe a gun? He looked to the table leg to see the wood dissolve, and transmute into a sword. It was a medieval looking sword with a cross hilt and a fairly thick blade. "What the…"

He caught a glimpse of Dulio smirking. That guy…he set this all up. What was he up to? What if Seijuro dies?

Screw that, he is not dying. He is not dying until he remembers who he was, what happened. He stood up, and gripped the handle of the sword tight. "Bring it on bird brain."

The man with the wings smirked with arrogance before initiating the same attack. Feathers shot at him, but once again his instincts took over. He took a swing of the sword and destroyed a few feathers, before rolling forward and grabbing another broken leg and throwing it at the man. It broke on contact, but the distraction gave him time to charge forward and stab the man in the side.

"Oh? You're quite skilled, even with your condition." The man smirked. "I wonder how much beating you can take." The man punched his stomach, and threw him into the street.

Seijuro got to his feet. What the hell…he didn't even flinch. He took the stab like it was nothing. Seijuro needed more power…more power…more power…

In a flash, the man appeared before Seijruo and grabbed his throat, lifting him off of the ground. "I'm going to enjoy watching the life escape your body."

Seijuro struggled to breath, he grabbed the man's arms but he wouldn't budge. Was he going to die…was he really going to die? Is this how it was all going to end? What a pathetic way to die. Struggling to breath, regretting not knowing who he was…where he came from…he didn't wanna die like this. He didn't wanna die with so many regrets…he didn't want to die…

Something awoke him Seijuro. He felt power surge through his body like a shot of adrenaline straight to his heart. His eyes lit up like two sapphires in the light. Four circles of blue light opened up around the man in black and chain shot out from them, wrapping around his arms, legs, and waist. He was restrained, his grip on Seijuro's throat loosened and he fell on his knees, gasping for air. He wasn't dead…he was alive.

"W-What the hell…what is this…" The man struggled to break free, but the chains were tight on his body. He wasn't able to move, the color faded from his body. These chains…these golden chains, they were draining him somehow. Golden chains with a diamond shaped attachment at the ends.

Seijuro had the upper hand…he could kill this man. He thought of a weapon. He imagined a broad long sword, with a long handle and an even longer and wider blade. And just like that, a blue circle opened and a long handle poked through. Grabbing it and pulling on it, the blade he imagined came through, a sword as tall as Seijuro.

Just as he was about to give the final blow, it felt like his heart had burst open in his chest. A massive surge of pain crippled him, dropping him to his knees. Seijuro dropped the sword and grabbed at his chest, wincing in pain.

The chains that restrained the man in black loosened and the man was free. Seijuro looked up at the man and saw a spear made of light manifest in his hand and pointed at him. There was nothing he could do. His body wouldn't respond to his command, he couldn't move.

He was expecting to die, but he opened his eyes when he heard grunting. The man had arrows in him, arrows looked to be made of light. Three were in his chest. The man stumbled back and pulled out the arrows.

An object landed in front of Seijuro, it was a small kunai knife. Tri-tipped with the middle blade portruding forward more than the side blades. The handle of the knife was wooden, with engravings carved into it. Suddenly, a figure flashed in front of him, picking up the knife. It was someone wearing a white cloak…the same white cloak that he had. Combat boots, the same ones he had on. The figure turned around knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't believe it took a Fallen Angel leader trying to kill you in order for us to find you." Seijuro saw their face. It was a girl, a beautiful girl. Long blonde hair, sky blue eyes. She smiled with genuine happiness in her eyes. "It's great to see you again, Sei-Chan, even if you don't remember me."

Seijuro was confused. Who was this, how did she know him? _Your friends are looking for you, they're here._ These were his friends. Seijuro could feel it, in his heart. Despite the situation he was in, the pain he was feeling, a smile tugged at his mouth.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Tsu-Kun, cover us."

"I'll do you one better!" A voice shouted behind him.

Suddenly, he heard a growl. Was he crazy or did he just hear something…growl. "You might wanna duck, Sei-Chan." The girl lowered his and her head as something flew over them. When Seijuro looked up, he saw a lion…a massive 500 pound lion attacking the man in black.

"Is that…is that a lion?" Seijuro was almost at a loss for words.

" _The_ lion," The girl smirked. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."

She helped him to his feet, but he struggled to even stand. "Where are we gonna go?"

"Somewhere safe, don't you worry," Her smile, it somehow reassured him.

Arrows came flying from somewhere behind him, holding back the man in black. The lion came to the girl's side. She stroked it's mane as it looked at Seijuro. His heart was beating fast, but it slowed down as he got comfortable. The lion snuggled against Seijuro's leg. "What the hell…"

She smiled. "You may not remember her, but she certainly remembers you."

"N…Nemea…" Seijuro said off the top of his head. His hand reaching out and on her head. "Her name…it's Nemea."

The girl nodded. "Nemea will protect you and get you to our safehouse. Tsu-Kun and I will follow along, make sure nothing follows. You can trust us, Sei-Chan."

Somewhere in his heart, he knew she was right. They knew each other…no, it was more then that. They were like family, close knit enough for them to come find him in his time of need.

Seijuro nodded, swinging a leg over Nemea after she got down for him. Nemea got up and shook her head, her mane wild and free. "Hold on, okay? I'll see you on the other side."

Seijuro nodded, and as soon as the girl whistled, Nemea took off at mach speed. She charged down the road. Seijuro tried not to look back as he heard explosions.

 **Author's Note - I'm borrowing elements from different anime and games and incorporating them into this story, as you may or may not have noticed. Still working on the story out in my head but I wanted to stray away from focusing on Issei and Rias and instead focusing on my OC's and their interactions with minor or side characters, seeing as not many stories do that. I also portrayed some characters differently because I didn't read the Light Novel, I hope you guys don't mind. Anyways, sorry about the late upload but I'd love to know what you guys think. Thanks for reading guys :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note - Sorry for the LONG break. I didn't really know where to take this story. I hope the plot I have in mind is okay. I won't be sticking to the main DxD plot and will probably take it a different direction with some minor characters. I'll also change the order of events from the show so I hope you guys don't mind. Anyways, I hope this chapter is okay, I wanted to do more slice of life parts so there isn't much battling in this one. Hope you guys like it and see you next time :)**

 **3**

"You actually set Kokkabiel on him, when he has no memory of who he is. Are you completely out of your mind!"

As much as Yuuki was overjoyed to find Sei-Chan, she was more worried about the damage that Dulio had done.

"Come now, Yuuki-Chan, what are you so worried about? It's not like he would have actually died." Dulio smiled. The exorcist came out of the wrecked McDonald's and wiped his pants. Kokkabiel was at a standstill, not engaging perhaps out of fear. "Kokkabiel, you can leave. Our deal is complete."

"You made a deal with him?" Yuuki asked.

"Very well exorcist," The Fallen Angel vanished.

Dulio made his way towards Yuuki. "You seem well. It seems like you weren't injured in the fighting. How is Tsukasa-Kun?"

"We're fine, no thanks to you." Yuuki sighed. "Where have you been? Are you here to capture Sei-Chan? If that's the case…" She was ready to materialize her daggers.

Dulio laughed. "Do you really think I'm someone who follows orders from them? I'm a friend, Yuuki-Chan. Go, I'll clean up this mess and meet you at your safe house."

Yuuki clicked her tongue. As much as she wanted to interrogate him more, she knew she had more important things to do. She had to make sure Sei-Chan was alright. He could still be in a fragile state. She knew he was okay for now with Nemea guarding him, but things could go wrong fast.

 **…**

Seijuro wished that the weirdest thing that happened to him today was the fact that he was riding on the Nemean Lion across the skies of a city he's only been in for a day.

His mind was still fuzzy, but bits and pieces were coming back to him. He remembered that girl, Tachibana Yuuki. They're friends…no, closer then that, they were practically family. He also remembered a boy. Seijuro couldn't remember his face but the name was clear to him. Inui Tsukasa.

Nemea let out a growl as she pounced through the skies. Seijuro smiled and rubbed her mane. She seemed to like it as she moved her head back and forth. They were headed north of the city, to the mountain range. There were parts of the city that he didn't know about and the northern regions was definitely part of it. All that was up here were construction sites and a few unfinished or demolished buildings.

Finally, Nemea descended. They landed in front of a wrecked shop, a donut shop? It was a weird place for a safe house, but it also seemed to make the perfect sense. Nobody would bother to look at a donut shop as a safe house. It was genius.

The front of the store was rather small, with a door to the left and a duct taped glass window to the right. The sign said closed with a bigger sign above the door saying it was a donut shop.

"Seijuro-Kun," A voice said behind him. Seijuro looked to see a boy with long black hair and dark eyes emerge from the shadows. He wore the same get up as Seijuro, but had a relieved smile on his face. "I'm happy to see you're safe. You really had us all worried."

"I-Inui Tsukasa?"

His eyes lit up. "You remember me?"

"Well, not your face, but your name is clear in my mind."

"I see," There was sadness in his eyes, and Seijuro couldn't blame him. He'd be hurt if a close friend forgot about him too. "Whatever the case, I am happy to see you again. Come on, let's go inside. I'm sure Yuuki will be here soon."

Tsukasa led them in. The inside was a drab and abandoned shop. The tables were dusty and covered with spiders and insects. The donut displays were empty and the lights were flickering.

"This is a safe house?" Seijuro asked.

"Well, it was actually a donut shop. The owners were close friend with the church so they let us renovate the back for whenever any of us were in town." Tsukasa went for the back door. "This, is the safe house."

A safe house, it definitely was. A big round table was slapped right in the center of the room. In the far right corner were bunks, about three with several drawers next to them. To the far left corner was a small kitchen area: stoves, a refrigerator, a small table and cabinets. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling to illuminate the entire room. To his right was a library perhaps? There were a lot of books just laying around, some opened and some covered in dust.

As Tsukasa went over to the bunks to organize, Seijuro examined the round table. It was elegantly designed and constructed, floral patterns decorated the edge of the table with column like designs all converging at the center. At the very center was an orb, it was blue but it seemed…odd.

"Sei-Chan!" A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. He felt something press against his back…so soft.

"Y-Yuuki!" Tsukasa said. "You made it."

Tachibana Yuuki stood behind Seijuro. She let go and went in front of him, a smile across her face that seemed so warm and welcoming.

"Yuuki…" Seijuro said. "Tachibana Yuuki. We're friends."

"Do you remember then?" Yuuki asked. "Do you remember anything else? Where you were? What happened?"

Seijuro shook his head. "It's still a blur, I'm just getting bits of it for now."

She seemed disappointed, but she smiled anyway. "Well that's better than nothing I suppose. Are you hungry? I'll make us some food before we tell you everything."

"Yeah, I guess I could eat. That angel guy really killed my meal."

Yuuki made her way to the kitchen. "Why don't you two get changed? It'll be ready in a few minutes."

Seijuro and Tsukasa stood by the bunks. "It's nothing like your clothes, but it'll do for now."

Seijuro changed into a pair of jeans with a white T-shirt and a flannel with the sleeves rolled up. Tsukasa wore a similar outfit but with a black hoody.

"Hey, Tsukasa," Seijuro said. "There's five of us…right?"

"Well, six including you," He explained. "After the attack, we all flashed you somewhere safe. I guess Japan is as far away from Europe as we can get so I guess it worked, but all of us were scattered all over the world. I was lucky enough to land with Yuuki, but the others…"

"We're going to find them," Seijuro declared without even realizing how confident those words came out.

Tsukasa smiled. "I'd expect nothing less from our leader."

"Leader?" Seijuro raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon, we'll explain." Tsukasa led Seijuro to the round table.

He held out a hand and light began to glow from the blue orb. Holographic images appeared all around the table and rotated. There were six pictures…one of them was Seijuro.

"Food's ready," Yuuki came back with plates full of eggs, bacon and toast. It was a bit late for breakfast, but he didn't complain one bit. It looked delicious.

"Thanks Yuuki," Seijuro smiled.

Yuuki turned red and hid her face. "W-Whatever. I'm gonna go change, be right back."

Seijuro was confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

Tsukasa shook his head. "Not a damn thing."

Seijuro turned his attention to the images. "So…this is us?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Your name is Hibiki Seijuro, the Divine Supremacy. You're the highest ranked exorcist in the world, the Paladin of Vatican City. The five of us are apart of your garrison, think of it like a team that you command."

He found it hard to believe. He had no idea he was someone so important…most powerful exorcist. Now it made sense about what happened when he fought that angel. Power surged through him so quick, he felt invincible.

"Tachibana Yuuki, Inui Tsukasa, Endo Kasumi, Magnus Morgenstern, and Arashikage Yuzuru." Tsukasa explained. "The five of us make up what the Church calls "the Divine Generals"."

"That's a bit…fancy, don't you think?" Seijuro asked.

"Yeah tell me about it," Yuuki came back. "What kind of name is _The Harbinger of Light?_ It makes me sound so cocky."

Seijuro was speechless. Yuuki changed into a pair of shorts with a short white crop top. Her hair was down but curly from the wind. Her face was relaxed but still intrigued. She was really cute.

"W-What is it? You're freaking me out," Yuuki's face turned into a tomato.

"N-Nothing…you just look really good." Seijuro smiled.

Yuuki became quiet and just played with her fingers. Tsukasa smirked and got back to the explanation.

"About two days ago, the Church came under attack." Tsukasa explained. "Of course, we went to investigate the attack, but every single exorcist at the Vatican turned on us. They called us traitors, heretics, and came at us for blood."

"We all went into your office and barricaded ourselves," Yuuki continued. "But eventually we came to the conclusion that the only way out of the Vatican in our current situation was to flash out."

"What's flashing?"

"Think of it like teleporting," Yuuki explained. She materialized a kunai knife, tri tipped with engravings on it like from before. "It's a form of magic I invented using space magic. Anything marked with these specific Enochian sigils, I can use as a marker to teleport to regardless of how far I am from them. I have several of these laid all over the world in major cities, just in case of an attack anywhere."

Seijuro examined the knife. "This seems extremely convenient."

"It should be," Yuuki smiled. "You're the one who helped me develop it."

"I did?" Seijuro raised an eyebrow.

"With the knife that was here, we were able to flash you here in an instant, however the spell wasn't meant to be used for more than two people. As a result, all of us were scattered to different locations all over the world." Yuuki continued. "Of course we tried to contact everybody, but without knowing where anyone was or where you were, it didn't make much of a difference."

"Oh it made a difference," A familiar voice said from the door.

Seijuro turned to see Dulio walking in with a smile. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"You bastard!" Seijuro threw the knife across the room and landed inches from Dulio's face and hit the door.

Dulio's face was grim and full of fear. "Are you insane? What if that had hit me!"

"Oh _you're_ going to talk about being insane?" Seijuro stood up. "You sicked an angel on me when I was eating a hamburger!"

"Well it was the right thing to do, now wasn't it?" Dulio smiled. "Forcibly opening the Gates of Babylon recovered parts of your memory. That's what I was aiming for. Of course I wasn't going to let Kokkabiel kill you." Dulio walked over and held out a fist, smirking with relieve.

Seijuro sighed but smiled. As rash and reckless Dulio was, his heart was in the right place. He returned the fist bump. Dulio walked to the holographic pictures and looked at them.

"Dulio," Tsukasa said. "What did you mean?"

He looked at the picture of the girl with long silver hair and the eyepatch. She looked kind of…intimidating. There was a manic look in her eyes, as if she was going to pounce on you.

At that moment, Nemea walked over and rubbed Seijuro's leg. He got down and petted the lion and played with her mane.

"I mean, your message went through," Dulio said. He sighed and crossed his arms. "The Devils just captured someone entering the city. Apparently, she was carrying a massive nodachi, about the size of her whole body, and had an eyepatch over her left eye."

Tsukasa and Yuuki were wide eyed with shock. Seijuro got up and tilted his head. "What's going on? What does that mean?"

Dulio smirked. "The Devils just captured one of your Generals, Endo Kasumi-Chan."

 **…**

Issei's heart was racing so fast, he felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

He, along with the rest of Rias' peerage, stood behind her on the couch as she faced two exorcists from the Holy Church. They were both girls, but one of them looked so familiar. It felt like Issei had seen her somewhere before but he couldn't exactly remember where. One had short blue hair with a streak of green and green eyes. The other had long chestnut colored hair tied in twin tails and a cheerful pair of violet eyes. Where had he seen her before…

Along with the Occult Research Club, members of the Student Council were also present. Sona Sitri sat with Rias as Saji and Tsubaki stood by her.

"So, what brings you two all the way out here?" Rias asked.

"I'm sure you're well aware of the coup at the Vatican," The blue haired one, Xenovia, said. "We have been dispatched to assist you in capturing the Paladin, Hibiki Seijuro, and his generals."

"Are you sure that's all?" Sona asked. "Pardon me for being bold, but we both know that your bosses always have some ulterior motive."

"As a token of our sincerity," Xenovia held out her hand to the side and opened a magic circle. A figure materialized. It was a girl…Issei recognized her, she was from the holographic images that Rias had shown them. She was one of the Divine Generals…what was her name… "This is Endo Kasumi, the God of Retribution. We captured her wandering into the city, armed. I hope this is enough to show you we only want to help."

The girl was on her knees and stooped over. She wore a short skirt with stockings and boots, a black blazer of partially unbuttoned dress shirt. Her long silvery hair was unkept and flowing.

She lifted her head and pouted. Issei couldn't help but feel attracted to her. She had pale skin and bright yellow eyes. She was alluring in every sense of the word. Her eyepatch definitely was noticeable, but it added more to the frame of her face.

"Is this any way to treat a friend, Xenovia? How long have we known each other?" Endo Kasumi asked.

"We are not friends anymore," Xenovia answered coldly. "After what you and the others did, you are enemies of the Church. You're lucky I didn't kill you."

"Cold as always I see," She smirked. "Irina-Chan, can you please tell her to get that stick out of her-"

"Enough!" Xenovia raised her voice. "Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, what will you do?"

"I guess we have no choice but to accept your help." Rias smirked. "What can we do for you?"

"We'd like you to close off the city," The chestnut haired one, Irina, replied. "Cast a magic circle around the circle to prevent anybody with even a hint of magic pressure from entering or leaving the city."

"W-What?" Issei asked aloud by accident.

"It shouldn't be a problem if two or three high class magic users were to do it," Xenovia said. "Of course that would mean that coming to and from the Underworld will be rather…difficult, but it would only be temporary, until we find Seijuro."

"Oh no that's a bad idea," Endou Kasumi interjected.

"And why is that?" Rias asked.

"Do you really think something like a barrier is going to mean anything to Seijuro?" Kasumi asked. "It won't matter how many barriers you put up or how many soldiers you lay in front of us, as long as those Gates are at his disposal, there isn't a single place in Heaven and earth that can contain the Divine Supremacy."

Issei began to feel worried. So it really was Seijuro-San. He clutched at the pocket watch. He had no idea someone so kind could be so dangerous…was he really so dangerous? He seemed so kindhearted and down-to-earth.

"But then again, that was your second mistake." Kasumi said.

"Second? What was our first?" Irina asked.

"Bringing me here," Kasumi smirked.

Issei knew something was about to happen. He covered Asia as something broke through the window. An object flew in and landed by Kasumi's knees. Issei looked…it was a knife?

"Damn, took you long enough," Kasumi sighed.

Tachibana Yuuki appeared in the Occult Research Club room in the blink of an eye. "Oh shut up, how did you even let yourself get caught so easily anyways. Let's go."

Kasumi stood up and broke the magic circle with a swipe of her hand. Everybody was on their feet. Xenovia jumped at Yuuki with a massive sword that she pulled from out of nowhere, however Yuuki blocked it with a pair of daggers.

"Saves me the trouble of hunting you two down," Xenovia grinned.

"Oh please, like you two could ever take us on."

Kiba and Koneko jumped into action and went after Kasumi. Kiba drew a sword and lunged for her, however she perfectly deflected the attack. Kasumi slid her hand along the blade until she reached Kiba's wrist, and punched him directly in the stomach with a loud BOOM. Kiba flew back and crashed into the wall behind them.

Issei watched in horror. The God of Retribution…what ridiculous physical strength.

Koneko was next. She came in for a barrage of punches, but Kasumi blocked every single hit. She grabbed the girl's wrist and swung her until she threw her at Xenovia.

Kasumi and Yuuki quickly jumped out the window, with everybody following them outside. Issei watched as they gathered around the Nemean Lion.

"H-Hibiki-San…" Irina said.

Hibiki Seijuro stood in front of the two girls. "Stand down, all of you."

There was something different about him. Issei didn't feel like he was speaking to the same person as the one from the ramen shop. He felt more cold and calculating. Those teal eyes were observing them, closely and intimately.

"Like hell we will," Xenovia said. "You're all coming with us. Your crimes will not go unpunished."

"You don't know what happened Xenovia," Kasumi said. "It isn't what you think."

"You all tried to kill High Chancellor Genryusai!" Irina shouted. "And then ran away like a bunch of cowards when you failed."

"He's alive?" Yuuki asked, speechless.

"There are many things they didn't tell you," Seijuro said. "Please, we don't want to hurt anyone. We don't have to do this."

Just when he thought that Seijuro was different, traces of the kind person were still there. Asia grabbed Issei's arm, but he knew she was feeling the same.

"Of course we do," Xenovia said. "You're all coming back to the Vatican, where you will answer to the Saints and repent for your actions."

"Like hell we are," Yuuki smirked.

A volley of arrows rained down from above. It happened so quick Issei couldn't process it in time, but when he opened his eyes, a massive dome of ice protected them. Standing before them now was Lady Serafall Leviathan.

"Leave," Serafall ordered.

"W-What? Onee-Sama, what are you talking about?" Sona asked.

"Lady Leviathan, these people-"

"Leave," Serafall repeated. "Before I change my mind."

A magic circle opened up underneath the four of them, and they vanished with the light. Serafall sighed and turned back to the group, including Xenovia and Irina.

"What was that?" Xenovia demanded. "We could have taken them all in right then and there!"

"We need to talk," Serafall said to the two exorcists. "I think they're innocent."


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

"O-Onee-Sama, why did you let them get away? We could have captured them all right then and there. We had them outnumbered!" Sona was clearly frustrated, and Rias couldn't blame her. It did seem like the opportune time to retaliate. She was curious as to why Lady Leviathan had decided to let them go.

"She is right," Xenovia stood up. "We had them all there, four of them for the taking and we let them go." She balled her fists with rage.

"Okay let's all calm down," The other exorcist, Irina, smiled awkwardly. "I'm sure Lady Leviathan had her reasons."

Rias, Sona, Lady Leviathan, Xenovia, and Irina were in the Student Body office. Seeing as the Occult Research Club room was just wrecked from Endo Kasumi's escape, it didn't seem like the best place to hold a meeting. Akeno and the others, along with a few members of the Student Council were already fixing the damages but it would be awhile before they would finish.

"Because," Lady Leviathan leaned back on Sona's chair and sighed. "I think they didn't do it."

Rias raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think so, Lady Leviathan?"

"Look at the facts," She leaned forward on the desk and crossed her hands. "The Church supposedly suffered from a coup at the hands of the organizations top exorcists. Seeing as they're all extremely dangerous and capable of handling themselves in a fight with me, why didn't they finish the job? Why would they just escape without having done anything that would have left an impact. And then…" She looked towards the two exorcists. "There is the matter of what you said. They tried to assassinate High Chancellor Genryusai. There's the Archer of Aurora with impeccable aim with a bow, and not to mention they have an actual legitimate assassin on their hands, what makes you think they couldn't have killed the Chancellor? Why would they not finish what they set out to do, if they really did start a coup?"

"You think they didn't," Sona said. "Do you think the Church is setting them up?"

"That's impossible!" Xenovia said. "We would never…"

"Then let me ask you something, Xenovia, Irina," Lady Leviathan said. "Did your superiors ever provide you with any evidence of what they did? Even a little? Or did they just give you an order and you carried it out simply because you were told to."

"There's a reason…" Xenovia said, balling her fists. "There's always a reason…they wouldn't just…send us off without…"

"Xenovia…" Irina put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "There might have been another reason why we were sent, instead of any other capable exorcist."

"I figured as much," Lady Leviathan sighed.

"When Seijuro-Kun was appointed as Paladin, the Church rarely let him out on missions," Irina explained. "He was always stuck in his office filling out paperwork. The Divine Generals were always scattered across the world leading individual groups by themselves. The only missions he ever took were directly from the Angels themselves…specifically those assigned to him by Lady Gabriel. And without his garrison, Xenovia and I were the ones who would accompany him."

"Were you three close?" Rias asked.

"He was our brother," Xenovia said, hiding her face. "He watched our backs as we watched his. We shared meals together and he would talk about how much of a pain it was to be the Paladin. He taught us how to fight, things about demonology, guided us…" Xenovia clearly was hit harder then Rias had originally thought. She knew that someone so devoted to a cause must have had a reason to be, and she seemed extra keen on capturing Hibiki Seijuro.

"We were his closest friends when we were at the Vatican," Irina said. "There's no one else he would ask to go with him on missions."

"That settles it," Lady Leviathan stood up and walked over to the two. Rias could see the pity in her eyes. Lady Leviathan placed her hands on their shoulders and stared into their souls. "You two need to figure out what it is that you want to do, what is it that _you_ yourselves want to do. Not just because you were ordered to or if it's God's will. From your very hearts, from the bond that you three share. Decide what it is that you really want to do."

"Lady Leviathan…" Irina said, speechless.

"As it stands right now, you two were sent here as sacrificial pawns," She continued. "Your purpose was most likely to get close to Seijuro, in any way. They're probably already sending another squad here as we speak, ready to strike whenever it seems safe to do so. In one fail swoop, they'll get Seijuro and his Generals, and most likely you two along with them."

"Y…You mean…" Xenovia's eyes were wide as saucers. "They sent us here…to die?"

Lady Leviathan didn't pressure them, she didn't press for their decision right away. Rias was honestly amazed at how serious she could get. Normally she was so care free and reckless even, but at times of emergencies or of importance, her demeanor switched to that of a leader. Her charisma bled out from her very soul and was contagious to anyone she spoke to.

"Go," Lady Leviathan smiled. "Think about what I said, and find it in your hearts."

"Find what?" Xenovia asked.

"Your resolve," Lady Leviathan turned them around and pushed them forward.

Rias watched as the two exorcists exited the room. She didn't know what to make of the situation anymore. It's gotten out of hand and was completely more complicated than she had originally thought.

"What do we do, Onee-Sama?" Sona asked.

"I need you to return to the Underworld," Lady Leviathan said. "Help Ajuka dig up anymore information about the Church. We need to figure out why they would target their most powerful asset."

"Y-Yes, Onee-Sama." Sona exited through a magic circle.

Rias was scared of what she would be ordered to do. Knowing Lady Leviathan…

"Rias," Lady Leviathan said. "I need you to keep an eye on things here. I'm going to New York, there's a database of knowledge there that could prove useful. While I'm gone, it means that if there is another attack of skirmish like today, I won't be able to help you. Make sure those girls don't do anything dangerous…"

"Lady Leviathan?" Rias could see that there was something else on her mind.

"That pawn of yours," She said. "Keep an eye on him. I have a feeling the next chapter in his life has already begun, and it's about to get really complicated. And your bishop as well…"

"Yes, Lady Leviathan," Rias bowed. "Be careful."

"I should be saying that to you," Lady Leviathan smirked. Her body began to crumble and shatter like ice.

Rias sighed and looked out the window, to their club room. What did she mean? What could happen with Issei? She was sure he had nothing to do with this. But then again she remembered what Tachibana Yuuki had said back in that warehouse. _The Red Dragon Emperor._ If that truly is Issei, then they have a lot more to deal with than just drama with the Church.

 **…**

Seijuro had a…weird dream that night.

He saw himself, dressed in the Church's combat attire. In fact, they all were. He could see Yuuki, Tsukasa, Kasumi, and two more individuals he couldn't recognize. One of them was a girl with long cherry blossom hair that went down to her waist. She had a playful smile on her face that seemed welcoming. The other was a boy with fairly long blonde hair and blood red eyes. He seemed distant, but the most noticeable feature was his placid expression. He seemed to not care about anything and was lost in his own mind.

It was a happy image. Seijuro felt at peace with what he saw. It felt like a distant dream he would never reach again. In a word, it felt like home. He was surrounded by people he loved and trusted. But the scene shifted as the image was cracked, like glass.

They were in an office. It looked rather spacious with a desk in the back and coffee tables and couches not too far from the main door. However the perfect image was a charade. Everything was broken, from the furniture to the walls seemed to crack and decay. He could see six people huddled around the coffee table. It was them.

"Sei-Chan…" It was Yuuki's voice. "What do we do? We can't fight them all."

"I say we make our stand," It was Kasumi. She smashed her fists together and smirked. "If these guys want a fight, we'll give them one they'll never forget."

"That's not a good idea, Kasumi-San," It was the cherry blossom haired girl. "We're far too outnumbered. It is unlikely we will make it out alive, at least not all of us anyway. And the defenses around the Vatican is probably already activated, escaping could prove to be a problem."

"So what are you suggesting then, Yuzuru," Kasumi asked.

"I…"

"Everybody calm down," It was Seijuro. It was weird looking at himself like this. He seemed different, he stood tall with grandeur and had a confidence in the way he presented himself. "We're all getting out of here, alive. This is happening faster then I had thought, but it changes nothing."

"Seijuro, you knew this was going to happen?" The blonde haired boy asked.

Seijuro nodded. "But I didn't think they'd make their move this quickly."

"What's going on?" Yuuki asked. "Why is everyone turning on us?"

"It's not their fault," Seijuro explained. "I'll explain once we're all safe, but Yuuki. Do you still have markers planted all over the world?"

"Y-Yeah," Yuuki seemed to understand. "You can't be serious, the spell wasn't designed for mass teleportation. It can't handle this many people."

"It will if you do it one by one," Seijuro said. "We have to hurry, it doesn't matter where but it has to be away from Europe. Do you think you can do it?"

Yuuki seemed hesitant, but a shot of confidence pierced her. "Yeah. I can do this."

Seijuro nodded. "Magnus, I want you to go to New York. The Library of Shamballa should be hidden there, you need to find out anything you can on Lucifer and the Great War."

"What? That's…" But Magnus didn't finish. He got the look from Seijuro's eyes and didn't bother to continue complaining. "I understand."

Yuuki held out her hand and opened a small magic circle. Just like that, Magnus disappeared.

"Yuzuru, go to Los Angeles," Seijuro said. "Look for Vali Lucifer. You won't miss him."

"But Seijuro, what about you?"

Seijuro placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, we'll see each other soon, okay?"

Yuzuru blushed, as Yuuki flashed her away.

An explosion blew the glass of the window inwards. Seijuro blocked with golden magic circles, however even he knew that something was about to happen. "Yuuki! Flash us all way now!"

Then, everything was white.

Seijuro opened his eyes. For a second he felt like he was still in a dream. His vision was blurry, but then he heard familiar voices.

"What do you mean you were just watching him? Who watches someone sleep 2 inches from their face!" It was Yuuki.

"I see better up close," Kasumi said.

"Okay everybody let's just-" It was Tsukasa's voice this time.

"Butt out!" Kasumi and Yuuki said in unison.

Seijuro sat up and rubbed his head. That's right, he was in their safe house in northern Kuoh. He looked over to see the three of them by the table arguing. Seijuro didn't remember much about Kasumi but she didn't seem like a complicated person. First impressions of her were she was rash and reckless, but caring and thoughtful.

"Sei-Chan! You're up!" Yuuki ran over to greet him. "Are you feeling better? You knocked out like a rock after last night."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think my memory's starting to come back to me." Seijuro told them what he saw in his dream at the table. They didn't seem surprised, so he must have been correct and it wasn't all a dream.

"So that means that Yuzuru and Magnus are still in LA and New York," Kasumi sighed. "Great, how are we gonna get to them and deal with everything here."

"I don't think _we_ have to go anywhere," Seijuro said. "Yuuki, you have markers in both cities right? That means that you can go and go find them."

"Well…yeah, but…" Something was on her mind. She seemed to be flustered and anxious. "Is it alright to just leave you here?"

"Huh? Yeah of course, why wouldn't it be?" Seijuro smiled. "If anything, you can take Tsukasa with you. I feel better knowing than you two have each others backs out there."

"And what will you do, Seijuro?" Tsukasa asked.

"My business isn't done in Kuoh, not yet anyway," Seijuro smiled. "Kasumi, do you mind staying here with me? I don't think it's safe for me to go anywhere by myself, not when I still can't remember what is I can do."

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" Now Kasumi of all people seemed flustered. Her silver hair was pulled back into a bun. She wore a large oversized black T-shirt, with shorts underneath (he hoped).

He caught a glance at Yuuki, who didn't seem flustered anymore. In fact she seemed kind of annoyed and angry.

"Fine! We'll leave right now then. Come on Tsu-Kun!"

"Y-Yuuki, wait a min-"

But the two had already flashed away.

Seijuro sat down on a chair and sighed. He seemed so relieved to finally have some quiet. As much as he cherished those two, Yuuki was usually pretty loud. Ever since they found him, it's been one thing after another.

"What's up?" Kasumi asked, sitting next to him.

Seijuro looked up at the ceiling. "Was I always so…focused?"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"When I saw myself in that memory, it was like I was a completely different person. He…that Seijuro, seemed so calm and in control. It felt like everything that happened was all according to his calculations."

"Well when you found me," Kasumi smiled. "You had a big smile on your face."

"When I found you?" Seijuro asked.

Kasumi nodded. "My mother abandoned me when I was a baby. She must have thought I was a freak or something. I grew up five or six different orphanages, until the one I was staying in was attacked by a demon. Everyone I knew there was killed…" Kasumi's eye had changed. He thought he was losing it, but the color of her eye actually changed. It went from a bright yellow to a dark green, it reminded him of tree leaves. "I don't remember much…but when I opened my eyes, you were there. You smiled at me and saved me." Her hand went for her left eye. She caressed the eyepatch as if she was reaching for something.

"Kasumi…I…" He hated himself so much in that moment. He realized how much it hurt his friends that he couldn't remember the past. He had forgotten Kasumi's past, her upbringing.

"You took me in after that," Kasumi smiled. "You must have been no more then a year older but you practically raised me from then on. It doesn't matter what happens Seijuro," Kasumi went for his hand. She was warm. "No matter what you make think of yourself, or no matter what anyone thinks. You're Hibiki Seijuro, the hero who saved my life."

Her smile. It was like he was looking at a different person. She was so nonchalant about everything, but it was like a piece of her heart was showing itself. Her smile radiated so much sunshine and happiness.

"Ara? You're blushing, Seijuro," Kasumi smirked.

"A-Am not."

Kasumi stood up and stretched. "I'm starting to get hungry. You wanna go out and get some food? I'd rather not spend all my time in this drabby place."

"Agreed."

The two quickly changed. "Is it alright to leave Nemea here? Won't she get lonely?" Seijuro asked.

"She'll be fine don't worry," Kasumi smirked. "We'll get her some steak on the way back."

The two ventured into the city. It was have been maybe 7 in the morning so barely any shops were open. They walked into the center of the city as Seijuro told her what happened before they found her.

"You're kidding me," Kasumi said. "He actually sent Kokkabiel to kill you?"

"Yeah," Seijuro was still annoyed at Dulio for that. "He said something about forcibly opening the Gates of something."

Kasumi's eyes lit up. "Of course! Maybe if the Gates of Babylon open, your memories might come back."

Seijuro raised an eyebrow. "What is it anyway?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you don't remember," Kasumi smiled. "It might make it easier to think of them as an armory, held in a separate dimension. You can open it at anytime and call forth whatever lays inside."

"What's inside it, exactly? Weapons?"

"Well…" Kasumi seemed to be struggling to answer. "It's not just weapons, it's everything ever created in mythology."

Seijuro was completely lost.

"Okay, so you know how there are different mythologies all over the world? Creation stories of how the world came to be in almost every culture in the world?" Kasumi asked. "Well all of that is like fuel that led to the creation of holy objects. The way you explained it was like an ocean of possibilities given form through magic."

"I still don't really get it but…" Seijuro said. "It seems like it's incredible."

"Yeah tell me about it," Kasumi sighed. "You have these stupid chains that completely block magic and even absorbs like a sponge. It's completely broken."

Chains…Seijuro remembered his fight with Kokkabiel. So that's what they were. Golden chains that blocked the use of magic and drains magic from whoever it touches.

"Hibiki-San?"

Seijuro looked forward to see Hyoudou Issei and Asia Argento. He remembered them from his first day in Kuoh. "Issei, Asia! It's good to see you again!"

 **…**

Issei knew that he wasn't a bad person, no bad person could have such a bright and warm smile when talking about his friends.

Seijuro everything that happened over deserts at a local restaurant. Apparently bits of his memories were returning but there was still a lot he didn't know yet.

"Um, Endo-San," Asia said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"What's with the formalities?" Endo Kasumi smirked. "Just call me Kasumi. We're all friends here aren't we?"

"Well, we did try to capture you yesterday…" Issei reminded.

"Oh please," Kasumi bit her ice cream. "You really think Xenovia and Irina can really keep _me_ down? I had to let myself get captured to see who was in charge. Sirzechs really wants us, Seijuro."

"Sirzechs?" Issei asked.

Seijuro placed down his knife. "Sirzechs Lucifer, the current head of the Underworld. He gained the title of Lucifer after the apparent death of the original Lucifer Morningstar."

Kasumi looked at him with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow. Even Issei was a bit shocked. "How…did you know that?" Issei asked.

Seijuro blinked several times. "I don't know, I just did."

"Huh, interesting," Kasumi said. "So memories are a blur but information is still there, we just gotta probe in the right spots."

"Did you just say probe?" Seijuro gulped.

Issei and Asia let out a laugh. "We knew you weren't a bad person, Hibiki-San." Asia said.

"Like we said," Seijuro smiled. "no need for formalities. Seijuro is fine."

"What did you mean yesterday, Seijuro," Issei asked. "That Xenovia didn't know the whole truth."

"To be completely honest with you, even I don't know what the whole truth is," Seijuro explained. "But I know for certain that the Church set us up. It's like they were trying to get rid of us after I was appointed Paladin."

"Appointed?" Asia asked. "I thought the Paladin was chosen by the Pope."

Kasumi shook her head. "Seijuro's case was different. He was appointed Paladin by the previous title holder. It would seem as though the Church really wanted Seijuro out of power."

"So you think they would stage a coup and have every exorcist turn on you guys?" Issei asked. "Even for the Church, that's completely insane."

"You'd be surprised at how far the corruption has come in the church," Kasumi said. "A once righteous organization that exorcised monsters and demons, guardians of dreams and hopes, now lowered to a power hungry cult."

Issei and Asia remained quiet. Everybody here seemed well versed with the Church's operations, except for Issei. He didn't want to say anything because it might come off as insensitive. Asia only recently became a Devil after a lifetime of being a Sister. None of this could have been easy to hear.

"Wait a minute…" Kasumi said. "Is it just me or is the ground rumbling."

What? That's impossible…or so Issei would like to think. But it was true, he felt his feet began to shake. The ground really was rumbling. "Earthquake?" He asked.

"No way," Seijuro said. "The movements are too consistent to be an earthquake. Someone's doing this."

The four of them went outside of the restaurant and looked around. The civilians were definitely feeling it and began to scramble for safety. "There!" Kasumi pointed east.

A pillar of bright orange light flashed in the sky. Issei was curious as to what it was and how it could make the ground rumble like that, but he knew he'd rather not find out.

"Issei, Asia-Chan," Kasumi said. "Go get your master."

"What about you two?" Asia asked.

"We're going to go on," Seijuro said. "Don't waste anytime. Go!"

The four of them split. Seijuro and Kasumi took off for the pillar, jumping across buildings and rooftops. They made it there in the nick of time. As they approached, Seijuro could see what was happening.

It was Xenovia and Irina…they were fighting someone, someone incredibly powerful. He felt a powerful surge of magic pressure. Xenovia was on the ground, unconscious? Irina was on her knees, kneeling before someone. The figure held a gun to Irina's head.

"Irina!" Seijuro shouted.

Everything was white.

 **…**

Yuuki had never been to Los Angeles before, believe it or not. She had visited almost every major city in the world; Athens, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, Moscow, but not Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Hills were large and overlooked most of the city. The city itself was sprawling with tourists and workers. Off in the distance, Yuuki could see Long Beach and the vast ocean. The time of day was also pretty nice, the sun was beginning to set.

"God I hate travelling like that," Tsukasa almost threw up. "It feels like my stomach's being twisted into knots."

"Maybe you're just not used to it yet," Yuuki laughed.

Tsukasa joined her at the view. They had landed on a large hill just a few thousand feet from the Hollywood sign. It was a great view of the city, but it was also a great vantage point to see where to start looking first.

"Where do you think she'd be?" Tsukasa asked.

"Beats me," Yuuki shrugged. "Yuzuru is as crazy and unpredictable as she is a genius. We'll never find her unless we think like her, which is the problem."

"What if we send out a pulse?" Tsukasa asked. "Together, we could use our magic to make a ripple in the ground to detect magic, like-"

"Echo location," Yuuki smirked. She was honestly pretty impressed. "Alright, let's try it."

The two knelt on the ground with their palms facing the ground. On the count of three, the two injected their magic into the ground and could feel the ground rumble a bit.

"I found something," Tsukasa said. "It's a mansion I think, near Long Beach."

"Let's go," The two jumped into the city, unaware that they were being watched by a monkey and a black cat.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note - Hey everybody! Thank you so much for your support. The upcoming chapters will be a bit character based, so I'll be developing some of my OCs rather then focusing on the main plot. Of course it will still be there, but I wanted to make sure my characters fit in this world a bit more. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter and I'll see you again soon. :)**

 **5**

Irina thought she was going to die.

She and Xenovia had been out to the abandoned church that served as the headquarters of the Fallen Angel Raynare when she tried to kill Asia Argento in order to acquire her Sacred Gear. As morbid as it sounded, a church was still a church and it brought Irina peace knowing that they were in a place of worship, watched by God and his angels.

Xenovia sat a row across from her and both facing the altar. The decor was drab and broken, the walls were moldy and riddled with holes and rodents, but it was still a church.

"Xenovia…" Irina said. "Talk to me. I'm right here."

"Do you think it's true?" She finally spoke after half an hour of silence. "Is that all we're good for? Just to be sacrificed so that the Church can get what they want? Do you think that's right?"

Irina shook her head. "I don't think that's right, but I believe in God and his will Xenovia." She smiled. "Whatever hardships we're about to face, I know I can endure it because it's what God wants for me in order for me to grow stronger."

"In times like this, I really wish he would give us a sign, y'know?" Xenovia mustered a weak smile.

Irina smiled back. "Now what fun would that be? Ruins the whole mystery wouldn't it?"

The two shared a short laugh. Irina couldn't remember the last time they had a moment like this. Everything's been so hectic lately, with what happened with Seijuro-San and the Generals, High Chancellor Genryusai hospitalized, everything's been a complete mess.

"Hey Xenovia?" Irina asked. "What do you think of Seijuro? Really? I know you're not someone to hate others simply because of orders."

Xenovia looked down to her hands. "It's not like I hate him. I can't hate him after everything we've been through. He's the closest thing I have to a brother, and you my sister. That kind of bond doesn't go away, ever, no matter what happens."

"So why-"

"Because he left us there, Irina." Xenovia balled her fists. "When it happened, when the coup broke out, they barricaded themselves into Seijuro's office and left without us. I thought…I thought we meant more to him."

Irina couldn't help but agree. At first she did feel betrayed. Irina had thought that the eight of them were like family. Yuuki-San had helped Irina with her close combat practice, Tsukasa-San helped with her ranged weapon practice, and Yuzuru-San and Kasumi-San even helped her prepare for the exorcists exam.

But Irina shook her head. "You know Seijuro-San, Xenovia. You know he's always putting others before himself. He probably left us there because it was safer than taking us along. We weren't targeted along with those six, he must have known that and chose to leave us so we would be safe."

Xenovia blushed. "It's still not right."

Irina snickered. "Yeah I guess it's not, maybe we should give him a punishment the next time we see him."

The two laughed for a second, before something caught both of their attentions. The doors to the church opened and a figure walked forward. Irina couldn't see their face through the blinding light, but the silhouette was there. They were tall, a man, wearing trench coat and a hat.

"Who's there? Identify yourself." Xenovia ordered.

"I am but a worshipper of God and an enforcer of his will," The man said in a raspy voice. "I punish those who sin and praise those who do good. And you two, have sinned."

"Irina down!"

In an instant, the man drew two pistols from his coat and fired several shots at the two of them. Irina and Xenovia managed to kick up their seats and used them as shields. They both shed from their cloaks and wore their combat attire.

Xenovia already seemed to drew her Durandal from it's magic scabbard. Irina activated her Mimicry and took the form of a Japanese katana.

"Come out and fight me," The man said. "exorcists."

Xenovia kicked up the bench and launched it at the man, who just broke it upon impact. However the cover allowed her to get close and swung. The man dropped his center of gravity and crouched, pressing the barrel of his gun at Xenovia's stomach.

BOOM!

"Xenovia!" Irina cried.

Xenovia's body slid back. Irina watched in horror as the blood began to spill. She crawled over to Xenovia and pressed on the wound. It was small but something was weird about it. The marks on the edge of the wound…

"T…They're not…bullets…" Xenovia managed to speak.

"Compressed magic," Irina clicked her tongue. "Don't worry, it'll take a few minutes for your magic to overcome it and start healing. I'll buy you some time."

"I…Irina, don't…"

"This time," Irina smiled. "I'll protect you."

Irina covered Xenovia with her cloak and stood up. As long as she didn't lose focus and concentrated, she'd be able to win. She remembered all the training she did with those six, she wasn't going to lose to this guy after all of that.

She got in a battle stance and prepared herself. "Come on then." Irina said.

"You've got guts girly," The man grinned. "Just like he said."

Irina narrowed her eyes. No, this wasn't the time to get distracted. Concentrate, don't lose focus. Wait for those bullets and she'd be able to deflect them.

Just as she predicted. The man shot three bullets, each of which she was able to deflect easily. It felt too easy however, and she knew something else was coming. She remembered the lessons she received from Yuuki-San. When your enemy has a range advantage, close the gap and fight him up close.

The man smirked. He finally removed his hat and revealed his face. It was teenager, no older then sixteen with spiky brown hair and bright brown eyes. He had a cheerful smirk on his face. He looked familiar, but Irina couldn't remember where she'd seen him.

"Please entertain me," The boy smirked, holding up his pistols. "Irina-Senpai."

Irina readied herself.

The two lunged at each other and got at it close combat. Even though the boy was using two pistols, his close combat abilities were definitely nothing to laugh at. So this is that art of fighting with pistols that she had heard about, Gun fu was it?

Each of his movements were either defensive or offensive, not a single wasted move. His left pistol was for defense and his right was for offense. It was a slight difference, but Irina could tell the difference. The amount of magic output from the right was greater and had more force.

The boy chopped both pistols and leaned against Irina with all his might.

"My name is Kuuga, the Silver Dragon." He smiled.

Irina smiled. "My name is Shidou Irina."

Kuuga jumped up and kicked Irina in the stomach and launched her back. Irina stabbed Mimicry in the ground and slowed her down. She was already out of breath and out of options. He was too strong to fight, Xenovia underestimated him and look at what happened.

"I'm getting bored of this," Kuuga sighed. "Let's finish this. First you two, and then those six. This will be fun."

Kuuga raised both pistols and pointed them both at Irina. A large magic circle opened and several more smaller ones narrowed down the magic output into a single small orb.

"Cero," Kuuga smirked.

It happened in an instant. Irina quickly grabbed Xenovia and propped up a bench to shield them. The force of that blast was something else entirely. Both of them were launched into the sky and landed on the roof of the church with their clothes singed.

 _Cero_. A blast of magic extremely concentrated through several magic circles. The more concentrated, the stronger and intense the beam. She never realized how powerful it would be.

Irina couldn't move. Her body felt numb. Every cell in her body felt like they were being electrocuted. "X-Xenovia…" She was okay. She was still unconscious but she looked unharmed.

"I'm surprised you lived," Kuuga walked closer towards her. "Say your prayers so that you can enter his domain."

Kuuga pointed a pistol at Irina's head. What was this. Her body felt numb. She couldn't move. She didn't wanna die yet. She wanted to spend more of her days with Seijuro-San and the others, she wanted to see Issei-Kun again, she wanted to spend more time with Xenovia. She didn't wanna die. She didn't wanna die. She didn't want to-BOOM

Irina opened her eyes to see Kasumi-San, holding the barrel of the pistol. "Now, now, what do you think you're doing to my junior?"

"E-Endo Kasumi…" Kuuga clicked his tongue.

"Irina!"

Seijuro dropped next to her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Irina could feel her face getting red. "Y-Yeah…"

"This is perfect!" Kuuga laughed. "Now I can kill all of you here! Oh how the Angels have shined on me!"

"You're pretty full of yourself aren't ya," Kasumi smirked.

"Be careful," Irina said. "Those pistols compress his magic into single bullets. He's also skilled in hand to hand combat as well."

"Heh, interesting," Kasumi said. "I'll finally have a chance to have some fun. I hope you won't mind, Seijuro."

"N-No," Seijuro replied. "Go for it."

"Seijuro-San!"

Irina turned around to see Issei-Kun. He was with the Occult Research Club. They all ran over to Irina and helped her up. "Issei, good job."

"Are you guys okay?" Rias asked. "What's going on here?"

"He attacked us out of nowhere," Irina explained. "I wasn't strong enough to fight him alone."

"No, you did great," Kasumi said. "All of you stand back. It's been far too long since I've had someone crazy and stupid enough to attack one of ours."

"K-Kasumi-San, are you sure-" Rias couldn't finish before Seijuro shook his head.

"I am your opponent now," Kasumi stood forward. "Endo Kasumi, the God of Retribution. Better say your last words."

 **…**

Kasumi felt rather relieved. For years she'd had to keep it locked up, the dormant and rampaging power in her. She was always told that she had to keep it under control, to never let it out.

"You can't possibly think you can defeat me," He smirked.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing." Kasumi teased him with her fingers to come at her.

In an instant, the boy launched for her at blinding speeds. Kasumi blocked his left with her right but his right hand was free. He was able to get off one shot, but…

"What the hell!"

Kasumi blocked the shot with her hand, her bare hand. "Let's end this, shall we."

Kasumi grabbed hold of his wrist and used her strength to keep him down. A circle of flames erupted around her and enveloped the two. Kasumi opened her mouth and began to consume the flames. A magic circle opened up by her mouth.

"Flame God's Bellow!"

Kasumi released all of the magic in her stomach into a beam of extremely hot flames. The boy was caught up in it and shot to the sky. "W-What the hell are you!"

Kasumi burped after the attack was finished. She turned back to Seijuro and the others, only to see all dumbfounded looks on their faces. Kasumi smiled awkwardly. "W-What's up?"

"W-What was that?" Seijuro asked.

"That magic," Rias Gremory said. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's called God Slayer Magic," Kasumi balled her fist and produced flames. They were brilliantly white flames that were like snow. "I don't know much of it's origins, but it's supposed to be strong enough to take down anyone with divinity. It cuts through divinity like butter."

Seijuro's eyes were wide open like saucers. "Incredible…"

Kasumi felt the blood rush to her head. "W-What are you talking about idiot? You're the one who helped me learn it."

"I did?"

Kasumi smiled. "Yeah. Apparently I had a high affinity for magic and you're the one who suggested I learn it." She walked back to Xenovia's body and picked her up. "But enough about that, we should take them back. Is it okay if we take them, Lady Gremory?"

Rias was caught by surprise. "O-Of course. But do you two mind dropping by the OCR later tonight? I think it's about time we all had a talk about everything."

Seijuro nodded. "We'll see you later tonight then."

Seijuro carried Irina while Kasumi carried Xenovia, and the four of them headed straight for the safe house.

 **…**

Seijuro watched Irina as she cared to Xenovia's wounds. Kasumi didn't know much about medicinal magic so Irina ended up having to bandage up Xenovia by herself.

"I-I'm really sorry for not being able to help out," Kasumi said scratching her head. "I'm no good with healing magic and Seijuro can't even properly use magic yet."

"No, no, it's okay," Irina smiled. "Reminds me of back in the day when I had to bandage all of you guys up after sparring matches."

"Yeah tell me about it," Kasumi crossed her arms. "No matter how hard I tried, Seijuro always gave me an ass whooping."

Seijuro raised an eyebrow. "Was I really that strong?"

"Was?" Irina asked. "I'm pretty sure you're still that strong." Irina looked to Kasumi, confused.

"Oh, right, we didn't explain it to you guys yet," Kasumi said. "Apparently Seijuro lost his memories after we flashed him to Kuoh. The details on how and why are still…unclear."

"Oh…" Irina said, sadness written on her face.

Seijuro hated seeing that in people he should clearly know. It felt like all the memories he had forged with them were just gone, and in his place was a hollow empty shell of someone they once knew.

"S…Sorry…"

Irina and Kasumi immediately shot up. "No why are you sorry!" Irina asked.

"She's right, none of this is your fault. Don't apologize you idiot!"

"We'll get your memories back," Irina said. "We'll figure something out, don't worry."

Seijuro couldn't meet their eyes. "But I…"

"No buts," Kasumi wrapped an arm around him. "You're our leader, whether you have your memories or not doesn't matter. I can see clearly now that those skills and instincts are still there. You're still Hibiki Seijuro, so no need to apologize."

Seijuro looked to Kasumi's eye. She seemed to have unwavering undeniable faith and confidence in him. He looked to Irina and he could see the same look in her eyes. It was incredible…he didn't know where this belief came from, but he could feel the bond that they share, even if he couldn't remember where it came from.

"Well, you guys seem cheerful."

"Xenovia! You shouldn't be moving," Irina ran back to her partner. "Lay back down."

"I'm okay," Xenovia smiled. She got to her feet with Irina's help and walked over to Seijuro and Kasumi. She had a stern look of determination on her face. "I've made up my mind."

"About what?" Seijuro asked.

"About what it is that I want to do," Xenovia said. "About what it is I _should_ do." She looked to Irina and they both nodded. "We're done being the Church's sacrificial pawns. We want to help you."

Seijuro and Kasumi's eyes were wide as saucers. "Y…You know that means becoming enemies of the Church, don't you? That means you'll never be able to return…" Kasumi said. "You need to make sure this is what you want."

"We're sure," Irina said, smiling.

"We're tired of living our lives trapped like caged birds anymore," Xenovia said, extending her fist for a bump. "We're going to live for ourselves, to achieve our dreams."

"And that means being your friends," Irina extended her fist as well. "We're your friends, Seijuro-Kun. We shouldn't have turned our backs on you."

Seijuro snickered. He returned their fist bumps with a smile. "You two are something else. Welcome to the dark side."

The doors of the safe house opened up. Seijuro looked to see Dulio returning with a smile.

"D-Dulio-Sama!" Irina and Xenovia both dropped to their knees and bowed.

"What the hell?" Seijuro asked, confused as all hell. "Don't bow to this idiot. He doesn't deserve that."

"You know I _am_ an Angel, Seijuro-Kun," Dulio smirked. "Anyways, I've come with news." He walked over to the table and joined them. "Rumor is, the Church's top superiors have turned dark."

Seijuro and the others were shocked. "W-What do you mean?" Kasumi asked. "What do you mean turned dark?"

"It's just as I said," Dulio showed three pictures on the hologram at the table. "These are the three High Chancellors that govern the Church. Nothing happens without the majority vote from these three. However, with the recent 'attack' on High Chancellor Genryusai," A picture of a man in his late forties with red hair was crossed out with an X. "nothing is stopping High Chancellors Morgenstern and Hannibal from doing whatever they want."

"Wait…Morgenstern?" Kasumi asked. "As in Magnus' old man? He's a High Chancellor?"

Dulio nodded. "He was appointed shortly after you guys went rogue. I don't know what it is they're after, but it can't be anything good since now these two basically rule over the Church. Their armies of exorcists, their knowledge of the occult and supernatural, and especially their armory…all of it is up for use now."

"That means they're going to come at us with full force soon enough," Seijuro said. "Great, just what we needed."

"Seijuro-Kun, what do we do?" Irina asked.

Seijuro thought about it for a second. Now of all the times the Church was about to make a move. They've been playing defensive for too long, but it wasn't as if they had much of a choice. For now anyway, the only thing they can do is…

"Dulio," Seijuro said. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What's up?"

"I need you to go look for Magnus," Seijuro said. "He should be in New York. After you find him, meet up with Yuuki and Tsukasa in L.A. If all goes well, they should have found Yuzuru by then. All of you need to come back here as soon as you can. We can't afford to be scattered anymore. It was my fault in the first place for sending them off."

Dulio shook his head. "You made the right call, gathering information instead of attacking. Don't worry, I'll go find them. In the meantime, don't do anything stupid."

With that, Dulio vanished with a breeze.

"What do we do, Seijuro," Kasumi asked.

"Now, we go speak to the Devils. We're going to need their help if the Church really does plan to come at us with so much." Seijuro said, trying to sound confident. In actuality, the possibility that they'll help them is incredibly low. They gain nothing from helping, in fact they might lose more. But they at least deserve to know the truth.

"Let's go," Seijuro said. "and hope Dulio comes back soon."

 **…**

"Sweet mother of God," Yuuki gulped. "This is…someone's house?"

They stood at the summit of a massive…no, otherworldly mansion. It was easily several hundred feet wide and took up most of the coastline. The doors were nothing too fancy, just a pair of double wooden doors with engravings craved onto the handle. What amazed Yuuki was that there didn't seem to be anyone home. She couldn't sense a living thing inside, save for some pets. It was located at a peninsula a few hundred feet from Long Beach.

"And you're sure she's inside?" Tsukasa asked.

Yuuki nodded. "I'm positive of it now. I can sense that girl's magic anywhere."

"Alright well, let's go in."

They opened the doors to see a massive chamber. They were greeted by a dazzling grand staircase lined with fine silk rugs and a grand chandelier. Corridors led to separate rooms. Yuuki used the echo location again and got the basic layout of the mansion, however it was still confusing. There were so many rooms and so many corridors, it would take them forever to find Yuzuru.

"Split up?" Tsukasa asked. "Cover more ground that way."

Yuuki wasn't thrilled about the idea, but considering the circumstances…

"Alright, but be careful." Tsukasa nodded and went right. Which meant Yuuki had to take the left.

To the left of the staircase was a small living room. Minimal furniture, a couch, a TV, even a small minifridge next to the couch. The room across from it seemed to be a library of sorts. There was a desk in the center, surrounding by a circle of bookshelves that towered over Yuuki. She saw a bust of William Shakespeare, the only thing not a book here.

"There's no way…" She was incredibly doubtful, but decided to try it anyway.

She walked to the bust and pushed back against the head, and sure enough it fell back and the shelve it was on began to slide back and then to the side, revealing a secret entrance. "Whoever designed this place, is a complete moron."

She walked into the dark room, only to be surprised by more books. It was a smaller library of sorts, however the amount of books inside were nothing compared to outside, but she got the feeling that they were worth a lot more than what was outside.

"Y-Yuu-Chan!"

Sitting behind a small desk, hidden behind piles and piles of books was the pink haired exorcist known as the Angel of Death. Arashikage Yuzuru was always a bookworm, but it amazed Yuuki how much material she had gone through in just two days. Almost every book in here had been read.

"Y-Yuzuru, what are you doing? Did you find Vali Lucifer?"

"Well, no, but I found this weird mansion and once I started looking, I found this place," She said with pure excitement. "Yuu-Chan, you're never going to guess what's in here."

"I don't care Yuzuru," Yuuki sighed. "Listen, you have to come with me. It's about Sei-Chan and the Church. You have to come to Kuoh with us."

"Kuoh? That town run by the Gremory family in Japan? Why would we go there?"

"Because it's currently where Sei-Chan is," Yuuki said. "C'mon, let's go."

"I can't leave yet," Yuzuru replied. "There's still something I have to know."

"What! Are you kidding me! The Church might come and attack Sei-Chan at anytime. I doubt even Kasumi can hold them off for long."

Yuuki couldn't believe this girl. She was always so stubborn when it came to this. The leader of the Church's intelligence gathering organization, Inquista. Yuuki realized the importance of intelligence, but there were things that were more important than information.

"Forget it," Yuuki said. "This was a mistake."

She began to walk for the exit, when Yuzuru spoke. "Yuu-Chan, I know what the Church is after. Why they came after us and had Genryusai killed."

Yuuki turned back, speechless. "What?"

"Resurreccion," Yuzuru said. "It's an ancient form of magic that allows the user to grant someone else magic equivalent to the number of lives used in the sacrifice. I know what they're planning to do."

"Who are they planning on resurrecting?" Yuuki asked.

"Lucifer Morningstar," Yuzuru explained. "In the Great War, he wasn't killed. When God created the first two Angels, Micheal and Lucifer, he granted them both with immortality. You can't kill either of them, so the Factions worked together to imprison him and his followers inside a parallel pocket dimension, dubbed the Gates of Hell. The Church plans to sacrifice as many lives as they can in order to open the gates and free Lucifer, or even crack the Gates to let his influence leak out into the world."

"W-Why? Why would they wanna release the Devil?" Yuuki was all sorts of confused. Why would they want to revive Lucifer? What could they possibly gain from this?

"I don't know," Yuzuru shook her head. "These books all say the same thing, however. The number of lives required for a resurreccion are…numerous, to say gently. A lot of people might die, Yuu-Chan. Which is why we need to stay calm, if we get emotional and let ourselves get clouded, it will only spell our doom."

Yuuki gritted her teeth. She hated that Yuzuru was right, but at this moment she felt so powerless.

"Whatever the case, you're right Yuu-Chan," Yuzuru closed her book and stood up. "I've memorized all the important books in here, this place has no more use for me. Let us go."

Her manner of speech sometimes…frightened Yuuki. She sounded so cold and distant sometimes, and at other times she was the most down to earth and kind person she'd ever met. This personality shift, Yuuki never understood.

"Yeah," Yuuki said. "We gotta go to New York and look for Magnus before we come back tho."

"I'm afraid, you're not going anywhere soon."

A voice broke through the silence of the secret room. Three figures appeared from smoke at the entrance of the room. One was a girl who looked to be around Yuuki's age, maybe 18-19, with long black hair and yellow eyes like Kasumi. She had extremely large breasts that she showed off with a yukata that she wore very loosely. What's more is that she had cat ears and two tails that matched the darkness of her hair. Another was a boy who looked to be the same age, wearing Chinese armor and had spiky brown hair and a long staff. The last was…

"Tsu-Kun!"

He was beaten up and had a rope around his mouth. "Why you little…" Yuuki was prepared to fight, however Yuzuru stopped her.

"What is it that you want, nekoshou," Yuzuru asked in a cold voice.

"Oh? You know what I am just from seeing me?" The cat lady asked, amused. "As expected from the Angel of Death herself."

"I won't repeat myself," Yuzuru said. "Same goes for you, monkey boy."

"Yuzuru…" Yuuki said.

"It's okay Yuu-Chan," Yuzuru smirked. "I can handle this."

"We were looking for one Hibiki Seijuro," The nekoshou said. "but seeing as you already told us where he is, we don't really have a use for you anymore, do we Bikkou?"

"Nope," The boy raised his staff and got in a battle stance. This was bad…

"I have no desire to fight either of you," Yuzuru said. "But if you insist on hurting my friend any more, I will send the both of you back to Vali Lucifer in body bags."

Vali Lucifer? So these two were working with him? Why would Vali be after Seijuro? The White Dragon Overlord…Vali Lucifer.

"Come now, Yuzuru-Chan," A pair of hands came from the darkness and grabbed hold of the nekoushou and Bikkou. Stepping forward, it was Dulio and Magnus. The blondes were ready for battle, so it seemed. Magnus grabbed onto Bikkou's arm and used magic to begin to freeze his wrist. Dulio on the other hand used his bare strength to hold the nekoushou down.

"Took you two long enough," Yuzuru sighed. "I was beginning to think I might actually had to fight them."

"Oh no," Magnus said in a monotone voice. "I like Long Beach, I wouldn't wanna see this coast get decimated."

"I'll decimate your face, Magnus," Yuzuru glared at him.

"Ooo, I'm so scared of a little girl with a temper," Magnus continued to provoke her.

"Enough, both of you," Yuuki stopped them. "We'll talk about it later, but first…" She walked over to the nekoshou. "What does Vali Lucifer want with Seijuro?"

"I guess you can say…Vali has a thing for him," the nekoushou winked.

Yuuki's face turned red. "W-W-W-W-What do you mean!"

"Yuuki-Chan," Dulio palmed his face. "You're way too easy."

"Seriously, Yuuki," Magnus sighed.

"I can't believe you fell for that, Yuu-Chan!" Yuzuru busted out laughing.

Yuuki hid her face, flustered and embarrassed. The nekoushou couldn't contain her laughter. "You're such an easy target to tease, Tachibana Yuuki. But to answer your question, we don't know why Vali is so interested in him. Up until recently, he only had his eyes set on the Emperor."

The Emperor? The Red Dragon Emperor? Earlier Yuuki had sensed his presence in Kuoh…she tried to remember. Wasn't it that boy that was in Rias Gremory's peerage?

"Well, we're letting you go," Dulio said. "Tell Vali to come to Kuoh when he can. There's matters to be discussed."

"D-Dulio-Sama! You can't just let them go!" Yuuki protested.

"It's okay," Yuzuru interjected. "Let them go, Yuu-Chan. I have a feeling we'll be seeing them again."

Dulio and Magnus released the nekoshou and Bikkou. The cat girl turned to Yuuki one last time before leaving. "The name's Kuroka. Nice meeting you, Yuuki-Chan." She winked at Yuuki, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Yuuki ran over to Tsukasa and untied him. "Tsu-Kun, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…" Tsukasa coughed. "That Bikkou guy caught me by surprise, and that Kuroka girl used magic to keep me from moving. They're strong, those two."

Dulio helped Tsukasa up on his feet. "Yuzuru-Chan, did you find it?"

Yuzuru pulled out a book from her bag and nodded. "Yeah, it took a bit of time but it was in here alright."

"Alright good," Dulio handed Tsukasa off to Magnus. "I'm going to head back to Heaven to speak to Lord Micheal about this. You four go back to Kuoh. Things are about to get really exciting, wouldn't want to miss it." And just like that, he vanished.

"What did he…mean by that," Magnus asked.

"I have no idea," Yuuki said. "But knowing him, it can't be good. C'mon, stand still, I'll send you to our safe house there."

 **…**

Vali Lucifer stood at the summit of a large mountain overlooking all of Kuoh. For the past day, he'd sensed powerful magic coming from this city. At first he thought it was _him_ , but then it kept radiating. Something was here, he wanted to find it quickly.

"Kuroka, Bikkou," He said. "Report?"

"It's true," Kuroka said. "He's here, the Divine Supremacy."

Vali's lips curved into a gleeful grin. Finally, the day he'd been waiting for for so long. His time has finally come.

"What will you do, Vali?" Bikkou asked.

"I'm gonna go pay them a visit," Vali said. "You two are free to join me if you'd like, but I doubt there will be much fighting."


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

Seijuro saw a weird woman in his dreams that night.

He was prepared to face these weird dreams, since he might start remembering his old life. However this one was clearly not a memory, more like a vision. The two were standing in a meadow at the base of a mountain range. The wind was slight but gave a chilling breeze. He looked up to see a woman who couldn't be more than 25 years old. She had long blonde hair with golden eyes and a warm smile. She wore an elegant sundress and a sunhat, but she beckoned Seijuro forward.

"You've grown up, quite nicely, Seijuro." Her tone was of joy, yet why did he feel as if she had sad to say such words. "And you've made so many new friends, haven't you. I'm so happy."

"Um, do we know each other?" He asked.

There was a pause, but she looked down and smiled. "Yes, I suppose you wouldn't remember me. With your memories gone, it's as though our bond has disappeared with it, hasn't it?"

"I…I'm sorry," Seijuro said.

"Nothing you need to apologize for, Seijuro," The woman giggled. "But to think you've mastered the Gates of Babylon and created so many wonderful spells. Looks like I made the right choice in believing in you after all."

"Well I wouldn't say _master_ , I still barely know what the Gates of Babylon are." Seijuro smiled and rubbed his head.

"In due time, your skills will return my young angel," The woman walked forward and pulled Seijuro's head into her breasts. "Your memories will soon be yours again, your throne will be restored as well. However a great danger approaches you all. You must be sure you're ready by then."

"W-What do you mean?" Seijuro asked. "What danger?"

"One that was thought to have been gone eons ago," The woman said. "But worry not. The bonds you've forged, the strength of your feelings and the friendships you've built will pave a path towards a better future, one that I could not accomplish. I believe in you, Seijuro." She pulled him up and kissed his cheek. "Make me proud, okay?"

The light began to grow strongly. Next thing he knew, he was laying in his bed at the bunker. He got up slowly and rubbed his head. These dreams have been weird, but that was the first one that felt so…real. Just who was she?

"Hey, you're up."

Seijuro looked over his bed to see Yuuki standing before him. She smiled and sat down next to him. "You feeling any better? Remember anything?"

He shook his head. "No, I just saw a weird woman in my dream."

A jolt went down Yuuki's spine. "A…A woman, huh?"

Seijuro raised an eyebrow. "Yuuki?"

She got up from the bed and walked towards the table. It seems like more people have arrived. Gathered at the table were Yuuki, Tsukasa, Irina, Xenovia, and two new faces that Seijuro saw in his dream. The spiky blonde haired Magnus with a cool and calm demeanor, speaking with Tsukasa and Kasumi, and the cherry blossom haired Yuzuru speaking jubilantly to Irina and Xenovia.

Seijuro got up and joined them, to a surprise hug from Yuzuru. "Ikki! It's so good to see you again!" She rubbed her face in his chest then looked up at him. "I thought you died. I went looking for Vali like you told me, but…"

"But she found something worse," Magnus said. He walked over and held out his fist. "It's good to see you're still up and breathing, Seijuro."

Seijuro smiled and returned the bump. "Yuzuru, what did you find?"

She cleared away and cleared her throat. "It was in an ancient prophecy book from the era of the Lost Gods. It foretold the awakening and revival of the Devil himself through a spell that was designed by the original Fallen Angel."

The original Fallen Angel, the Devil… "Wait a minute, you mean-"

Yuzuru nodded. "It's a spell designed to revive Lucifer himself."

"Resurreccion," Magnus explained. "A powerful and forbidden spell that converges human lives to magic, and then using maybe four or five powerful mages, it can be transferred to any being the wielder wishes. They're planning on using this spell to revive Lucifer himself from the Gates of Hell."

"They?" Seijuro asked. "You mean the Church. The Holy Church plans to revive Lucifer. You guys realize how ironic that sounds, don't you?"

"Yeah tell me about it," Kasumi sighed.

"Well, whatever the case," Seijuro said. "We can discuss this with the Gremory family. We're going to meet in a bit, and I'd like all of you to come with me."

"The Gremory Family?" Yuzuru asked. "You mean Rias Gremory?"

Seijuro nodded. "I can't explain it, but she's not an enemy. We can trust her, maybe even ask for her help in protecting this city when the invasion comes."

"I don't know Seijuro," Kasumi said. "Issei and Asia were one thing, but this is a fully realized agent of the Underworld. Her brother is Sirzechs Lucifer, the one who's trying to capture us remember? This is extremely risky."

"Which is why," Seijuro pulled Yuuki towards him and swung an arm around her and Yuzuru. "We're all going. If they really want a fight, I have a feeling that we're going to be just fine with all eight of us here."

"EHHH!" Yuzuru ran towards Irina and Xenovia. "That means Irina and Xenovia are going to join us? I'm so happy! I missed you two so much!" Yuzuru smooshed their faces together with joy.

 **…**

The Occult Research Club Room was a club in Kuoh Academy that served as an alias for Rias Gremory and her peerage. All the members were Devils, as well as the Student Council. This school was basically a supernatural gathering ground.

Seijuro and Rias sat across from each other on opposite couches, with their respective groups standing behind them. Rias' peerage looked intimidating nonetheless, however compared to the exorcist group standing behind Seijuro, he had a feeling that they weren't gonna pull any stunts.

He explained to her everything that Yuzuru and Magnus found. He told her about the spell and the plan to revive Lucifer, even about the Gates of Hell themselves with Yuzuru's help.

Rias crossed her legs and played with her chin. "This is…all very hard to believe."

"The balance of power in the Vatican has greatly shifted," Yuzuru explained. "With High Chancellor Genryusai gone, it means that the other two have free reign to do whatever they please. I'm not even sure the Pope can stop them at this point."

"And you think they're coming to Kuoh?" Rias asked.

"I'm certain of it," Yuzuru nodded. "This city is located in just the right place with enough ties to the supernatural world to inhabit many magic users. There are probably thousands of them around the city that we can't deal with. This is the perfect ground for a spell as big as _Resurrecccion._ "

"We want to ask for your help, Rias Gremory," Seijuro said. "We want to stop the Church's plans, to stop Lucifer from running loose in the world, but most importantly, we want to protect this city."

"Heh? Why would you want to do such a thing?" Rias smirked. "You barely live here."

Seijuro smiled. "I've lived here for as long as I can remember, quite literally if I may add. I've seen the smiles, the laughter, the joy, the sadness, the overall enjoyment of life. Futures will be started here and lives will come to an end after a lifetime of happiness and joy. I want that to happen peacefully, without the worry of anything ruining their lives. I speak to you not as the Paladin or an exorcist, but as someone who has seen the greatness of this city, I want to protect everybody here and let them live, so they can cultivate their lives."

Rias was shocked to say nonetheless, however she smiled and nodded. "Very well. I'll reach out to you soon to discuss the measures we should take. Do you know how long before the Church attacks?"

"Well considering they've lost their greatest asset and military force," Yuzuru said. "I'll give it about 3 days, maybe more."

"Very well," Rias got up and walked towards Seijuro. "Thank you for coming to see me today. It means a great deal. I never imagined I would be working with a group of exorcists."

"Yeah well it's not exactly a common occurrence for me either." Seijuro smiled and shook her hand.

"Lady Gremory," Tsukasa stepped forward. "Would it be alright if I spoke to your knight for a moment?"

Both Rias and Seijuro raised an eyebrow. "Tsukasa…"

"Kiba?" Rias turned around.

"It's okay, Prez. We won't be long." Kiba walked with Tsukasa outside.

"I wonder what those two have to talk about," Rias said.

To Seijuro's surprise, Issei and Asia stepped forward. "Seijuro-Kun," Issei said, holding out his hand. "This is yours."

Seijuro was surprised to see his pocket watch. "It didn't seem right to keep this after all. It has so much meaning to you, even if you may not remember it."

"Issei, Asia," Rias said, crossing her arms. "You two know him?"

Seijuro stepped in for them. "Y-Yes. They helped me on my first day here, when I couldn't remember anything and paid for my food. I am in your debt, Lady Gremory. You have a pair of wonderful young Devils here."

Issie and Asia blushed.

"You jackass!" Seijuro felt his skull being cracked as Yuuki punched him in the back of the head, shooting him forward. "I can't believe you gave your pocket watch away like it was some toy. Do you know what that thing is?" She walked over to Issei and Asia and bowed. "I am so terribly sorry for his ignorance, please forgive us."

"Eh?" Issei was flustered. "It's really nothing to apologize about."

Seijuro got up and rubbed his head. "What's the big deal Yuuki? I didn't know what else to give them since I didn't have any money."

"Well you're all a really lively bunch are you?" Rias giggled.

Seijuro sighed and walked back to his group. "We'll be off then. See you later."

 **…**

Tsukasa stood on the roof of one of Kuoh Academy's school buildings. It was bad enough that the allowed himself to be captured so easily by that nekoushou, but to top it off he felt so useless during the last few fights. He was a marksman, and yet why did he feel such a powerful sense of powerlessness swirling in him.

He stood before Kiba Yuuto, a knight in the service of Rias Gremory. So that's what he went by now, Tsukasa wanted to run up to him and hug him, but he knew that wasn't what he should do. He hadn't seen him in years, not since…

"Why did you call me up here?" Kiba asked.

"I just wanted to speak to you for a bit, that's all," Tsukasa smiled. "How have you been, Isaiah?"

"That's not my name anymore," He said, hiding in his face. "You have no right to call me by that name anymore."

"Isaiah, we were brothers at one point weren't we?" Tsukasa smiled. "Do you remember when we would make those paper cranes and pass them out to the other kids to see them smile? I always cherished those times with you."

"Then why did you abandon us there?"

Tsukasa felt a cold hard steel run through his heart. So…that's what the others must have thought Tsukasa did. Looking back now, there was no other way to look at it.

"I'm sorry, Kiba Yuuto," Tsukasa smiled. "You know, that name really fits you."

"Don't patronize me!" Kiba created a sword from a magic circle and charged at Tsukasa. He didn't bother to dodge seeing as the blade stopped just inches from his throat. "Why did you…Why did you…" Kiba was shaking, trying desperately to control his emotions.

Tsukasa pushed the blade aside and hugged him. Kiba was still shaking, however he tried his best to calm the knight down. "From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry."

Kiba pushed him aside and walked away without saying a word. After he disappeared, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. "So you saw that, huh?"

Yuuki sighed. "You wanna tell me what's up?"

The two walked over to the edge of the school building and sat with their legs swinging down, staring into the city.

"His name is Isaiah, a boy raised in the Holy Sword Program," Tsukasa explained. "I think we arrived there on the same day. We were basically brothers growing up. But one day, they took me away and said I had potential. That was one day before Isaiah and the other kids planned their escape. By the time I heard the news, it was too late." Tsukasa balled his fists. "I thought everyone had died. They were my family…Isaiah, he must hate me more than anything in the world. To him, I basically left him to die."

"Don't be such an idiot," Yuuki put a hand on his head and smiled. "Wounds can be healed, it just depends on how quick you tend to it. I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Tsu-Kun. I think to him, seeing you again must have brought a new feeling to him. Keep going, I'm sure you'll figure out a way."

Tsukasa was grateful to her at times like this. She has a wisdom about her that transcends her age.

"By the way," he said. "Where are the others?"

"Yuzuru wanted to go sight seeing with Irina and Xenovia so Irina is showing the two of them around," Yuuki explained. "Seijuro, Magnus and Kasumi are trying to get Seijuro to master the Gates of Babylon again so they went into the mountains."

"And you?" He asked. "What do you wanna do?"

"Me?" She smiled. "I just want us to be a family again."

Tsukasa smiled and stared off into the city. "Yeah, I want that too."

 **…**

Seijuro lay on his butt, complete exhausted and out of any energy. He felt like his legs had turned to jelly and his heart was pumping three times the regular amount. They had spent the last hour trying to get Seijuro to utilize the full abilities of the Gates of Babylon, but he hardly understood the idea of it let alone how to use it.

"You're not concentrating enough," Magnus said. "You have to visualize it. Imagine the weapons you want, it's virtually impossible that whatever you think of, the armory wouldn't store it."

"What…exactly…is it…anyway?" Seijuro asked, panting in between every word.

Kasumi crouched down to face him. "The Gates of Babylon is one of the Lost Sacred Gears, originating from the very first king of Mesopotamia. They said the king was obsessed with wealth and fortune, so he spent his life amassing everything he could get his hands on. Weapons, books, tools, even knowledge. This Sacred Gear was said to be powerful enough to kill Gods and topple empires, all by one person."

"And every user of it since has continually added more and more to the armory," Magnus said. "It's a space-time Sacred Gear that created magic circles that act like doorways to the armory, located in a parallel pocket dimension only available to those who the user grants access to. _You're_ the only person who can use this, Seijuro."

Seijuro scratched his head. He closed his eyes and imagined it. The first thing that came to mind was an ocean, an endless and deep ocean. He imagined multiple ripples all over the surface of the water, and just like that magic circles opened up around him.

He saw multiple weapons protrude from the circles and took aim at the multiple targets that Magnus had set up for practice. Seijuro's left eye glowed as the weapons shot from the circles and completely destroyed every target.

"Oh…kay, I didn't expect that," Kasumi said with a shocked expression.

"Okay, you can open the gates now, but you don't have to open them through magic circles," Magnus explained. "The Gates are yours to command, you can create any weapon you can imagine with just a thought. Try to bring them out without magic circles."

Seijuro imagined the ocean again, however instead of ripples, he imagined rocks dropping into the ocean instead. This time, the weapons protruded outwards but through some sort of wall behind him that left golden ripples this time.

"There it is," Magnus smiled.

Seijuro stood up and caught one of the weapons as they fell. It was a long spear with a serrated blade. "There's so much magic running through this, what kind of weapon is this?"

"Beats me," Kasumi said. "There's more weapons in there than there are numbers pretty much."

With just a thought, the weapon vanished like sparkling light. "How did I get this Sacred Gear anyway?"

"It was given to you," Kasumi explained. "By the last Paladin. The details on how are completely unknown since you never told us, but that's all we know."

"Who was the last Paladin?" Seijuro asked. "Do you guys remember?"

"Her name was Kurogami Hana." Magnus explained. "For ten years she was the top ranked exorcist in the entire Church. She supposedly mastered the Gates of Babylon to such an extent that she could fire at an enemy several hundred feet away with such incredible aim and precision. If you think Tsukasa's aim is good…"

"You sound like you two were close," Seijuro noted.

"Yeah," Magnus cracked a smile. It was the first time Seijuro had seen him smile. "We were practically raised together."

"Heh? Really? I had no idea…" Seijuro said in awe. "By the way Magnus, what kind of magic do you use?"

"Well it's kind of…complicated," Magnus admitted. He held out his palm and created layers of magic circles, until they spread out to form a pentagon. Each pentagon was giving off an element. A small tornado, a small flame, a spiral of rocks, drops of water, and sparks of lightning. "I kind of use all of them. The name the Church gave me is the Sorcerer Supreme, but I think it sounds too much like a superhero."

"That's pretty cool actually," Seijuro had to admit just how amazing that was, to master all forms of elemental magic like that. He had no idea there was a person who could do such a thing.

"He's being modest," Kasumi whispered. "You know he's actually the one that came up with Yuuki's spacial magic? He came up with the concept based off of the Gates of Babylon, but you and Yuuki were the ones who perfected it."

"W-What!"

"Shut up Kasumi," Magnus sighed. "Listen, magic really isn't just a weapon of war, it's a way of life. It's something that requires a strong heart and an open mind. You'll never get anywhere if you use magic for your own gain or to get revenge. It's an art that should be used to make people happy."

"You know, you're a pretty kind hearted person," Seijuro said. "I heard from Yuuki that you're pretty scary, but you don't really seem like it to me."

"Don't listen to that idiot," Magnus sighed. "But aside from that, have you remembered anything? Anything at all?"

Seijuro filled him on what he remembered so far from his dreams. He told him about the incident in the office and their escape, as well as the dream he had with that woman. Kasumi was keen to hear as well since he hadn't told her about this.

"Blonde hair and golden eyes…" Magnus echoed. "Doesn't that sound like-"

"Hana!" Kasumi cried. "You saw Hana in your dreams? Did she say where she was? Or what happened?" Kasumi grabbed Seijuro's shoulders and shook him.

"No! She just said I grew up and she was proud." She finally stopped. "Why? What happened to her?"

Kasumi and Magnus had concerned looks on their faces. "Well…the truth is, she went missing after you were appointed Paladin. We wanted to go look for her, but you told us that we shouldn't. You never told us what happened, but it seemed like you. We all trusted you enough to respect that…but even now we don't know what happened." Kasumi said.

Magnus had a look on him. It was part anger but part relief. "So she's alive…she's alive, which means we can still look for her."

"Magnus…" Kasumi said.

"I'm gonna go into town to get some food," He said walking off and pulling up his hood. "You take over from here Kasumi. I'll be back at the safe house later."

Seijuro looked to Kasumi. "Did I do something?"

Kasumi smiled. "No, don't worry. It's just that those two were always really close. Even before you were Paladin and we became a part of your garrison. They always practiced together every morning and were practically inseparable. I think…a part of him was in love with her, but she never reciprocated those feelings. Hana was just the type of person to never want to break that kind of friendship, you know?"

"Yeah…I get that," Seijuro said. "But what about you, Kasumi?"

"Huh?"

Seijuro stood up and walked towards her. The closer he got, the redder her face got. It was hard to imagine the girl that was blushing so hard was actually the God of Retribution.

He got close to her and grabbed her chin. "Would you…ever wanna break this friendship?"

"W-W-What are you…." She was at a loss for words.

"I'm just kidding," He backed away and smiled. "Man that look on your face is priceless!" He began to laugh.

"You jerk!" She punched him int he stomach and sent him flying until he smashed into a tree, completely breaking it.

Seijuro coughed for air and looked at her. "I was just joking!"

"Don't toy with a girl's heart like that!"

Seijuro caught her eye and for a moment, they just stared at each other. But then Seijuro cracked a smile and they both began to laugh. Was this it? Was this the life he was looking for? The life he had lost? Sharing laughter and bonding with one another?

 **…**

Magnus had already wandered off into town before he even realized where he was. He began to think about Hana, and how there was a possibility she was still alive. Ever since she disappeared, he yearned for the day they'd meet again. Despite Seijuro's orders, he combed through every database he could get his hands on, but there was no information on where she could have gone.

"Ara? Aren't you one of Seijuro-Kun's friends?"

Magnus looked up to see a girl in her late teens with long black hair in a ponytail. She wore the Kuoh girl's school uniform and was carrying bags of groceries. Magnus tried to remember…

"You were with Lady Gremory, at the meeting."

"Himejima Akeno," She bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to formally meet you…"

Magnus blushed. "M-Magnus. Magnus Morgenstern. It's a pleasure."

"Well Magnus, would you like to grab a drink with me? I'm afraid carrying these bags are quite taxing." She smiled.

And so, the two found a nice little cafe by the street. She ordered a strawberry milkshake while he got regular iced coffee.

"Um…Akeno? Why are you carrying those bags? Aren't you a Devil with demonic power? Couldn't you warp home or fly home?" Magnus asked.

"My, my, already calling me by my first name. That's pretty bold of you, _Magnus."_ Akeno giggled. "But to answer your question, I like to enjoy human life as much as I can since it's not something I get to do anymore. I actually share a hotel room with two other members of the Club so I thought I'd cook dinner while I'm at it."

"I see," Magnus smiled. "It's good to see you still want to enjoy human life. I know most Devils would just want to explore new opportunities with their powers."

Akeno took a sip of her shake. "I think I'm contempt with my life how it is. I wouldn't want to change anything, but…" She looked at him teasingly. "Meeting new people, now that's totally on the table."

W-What's with this woman? Is she always so…bold? Magnus had never interacted with someone so open about their desires. He panicked.

"I-I see," He laughed. "But I think a lot of things are about to change…We're about to face an invasion from a powerful enemy. I don't know if we can get out of this one unscathed."

Akeno reached over and took his hand. "Have some faith, Magnus. In your friends, and in your allies."

Magnus felt his heart skip a beat. Her eyes, her smile, her laugh…Why was he feeling like this? He accidentally let a spark of lighting come from his fingertips.

"Oh my," Akeno said.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It seems like you're a magic user," Akeno held up her hand, as lightning struck her fingertips as well. "It seems we're quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Y-Yeah…I guess we are…" He said.

Akeno gave one last smile before getting up. "I should get on back, I'm sure those two are waiting for me." She grabbed her bags and began for the street. "I hope we run into each other again, Magnus. It was fun speaking with you."

"Y-Yeah…see you again."

He sat quietly, motionless as he drank his coffee and tried to calm his heart from beating out of his chest.

 **Author's Note - I hope you guys like Magnus x Akeno. It's something I wanted to try since most of the other girls are gonna be in Seijuro's harem. I decided on Yuuki, Yuzuru, Kasumi, Irina, Xenovia, and Kuroka so far for Seijuro's harem. As for Tsukasa, I was going to pair him up with Sona since I think their personalities are a match. Also, maybe one or two more chapters of character development for Tsukasa and Magnus before getting back to main plot, hope you guys like it and I'll see you again :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

Seijuro was becoming accustomed to Yuuki's amazing cooking. For breakfast she made everybody french toast with scrambled eggs and the best coffee he had ever tasted. It utterly baffled him seeing as the fridge wasn't even properly working and they didn't have any money. Just where the hell was she getting all of this food from.

Everybody sat around the table, as if they were one big family, and ate breakfast together. Magnus was acting weird ever since he came back last night, almost nervous. Yuzuru, Irina, and Xenovia had gone sight seeing all over Kuoh, checking out all the tourist spots and told some pretty cool stories. Tsukasa on the other hand, seemed as if something was on his mind, but Yuuki had told him to not poke his head in because it was something Tsukasa had to deal with on his own for now.

"By the way Magnus," Seijuro said. "Did you ever find the Library of Shamballa? I remember telling you to go to New York for it but I don't even know what it is really."

"The Library of Shamballa is rumored to be the biggest database of knowledge in the world," Yuzuru chimed in, her mouth still full from her fourth toast. "I've never seen it but I sure would love to. There's untold knowledge there from races long extinct and magic that's supposed to be forbidden."

"I don't know if we should trust you to go there either way," Magnus sighed. He placed down his fork and leaned on his arm. "I found it alright. It's guarded by the nephilim of New York. Those bastards won't let anyone near it. A guarded secret only accessible to nephilim and the beings of Heaven, so they said."

"Nephilim?" Seijuro asked. "Aren't they abominations of Angels or something like that?"

"In the Bible, maybe," Yuuki answered. "But in the real world, they're actual descendants of offsprings of Angels and humans. They're supposed to be the keepers between humans and the supernatural world, think of them like the supernatural police force."

"Bunch of pains in the asses if you ask me," Kasumi scoffed. "You wouldn't believe how many times they got in the way of my missions just because it would risk humans finding out about the truth."

"Well you can't blame them, Kasumi-San," Irina said. "They're mandate is to protect humans from this world, it makes sense why they'd be so adamant about keeping their mission."

"They're like exorcists in a way," Xenovia added.

"Heh…really," Seijuro said. He had no idea such an organization existed. They seemed to be dependable, but why did a creeping feeling linger in his head. It's as if a warning was triggered in his mind.

"So," Magnus said. "What are we doing today?"

Seijuro smirked. "Magnus, you and Yuzuru are going to be attending Kuoh Academy as temporary transfer students."

Magnus spit out his food and Yuzuru dropped her last piece of toast. All eyes were on him, as if he had just declared something incredibly stupid.

"Excuse me?" Magnus asked.

"Ikki-Senpai…you're joking, right?" Yuzuru gulped.

"Sei-Chan, I don't think-" Yuuki said but Seijuro cut her off.

"I already decided with Rias and the Student Council President," He sighed and crossed his arms. "Since you two are the youngest, aside from Irina and Xenovia, I want you two to keep an eye on what goes on at the school. There seems to be way too much supernatural activity there, it might prove to be a battleground later."

"But _us_ ," Magnus said. "going to _school."_

"Yeah Senpai, this does not seem like a good idea." Yuzuru protested.

"Oh come on," He smirked. "This is going to be fun."

They both sighed and leaned back on their chairs. "Fine! I guess there's nothing we can do about it now since he made up his mind." Yuzuru sighed.

"You're gonna regret this, Seijuro." Magnus said. "But maybe this'll be fun."

"Any other news you wanna spring on us?" Yuuki asked.

"Tsukasa," Seijuro said. "Do you think you can go scout the woods for us? If possible, I wanna know where the Church is."

"Y-Yeah, I can do that." He said lost in his own mind.

"The rest of us are gonna stay here," Seijuro said. "I don't want us to be any more separated then we need to be."

Everyone began to disperse. Tsukasa left suddenly by himself without any warning, which gave Seijuro a chill, but he contained his curiosity and worry. He looked over to Magnus and Yuzuru as they changed into their school uniforms. Magnus wore a…simple version of Kuoh's school uniform. His yellow button up was untucked and the top few buttons were undone. His blazer was rolled up but at least he had his bag.

Yuzuru was much more traditional with her uniform. Everything was as how it was supposed to be, she reminded him a bit of Asia. She even tied her hair back into a ponytail to blend in more, though she definitely stood out with that cherry blossom hair.

"Alright then, we're off," Magnus said with an annoyed tone.

"See ya later," Yuzuru waved as the two left.

Irina joined him at the table. "Are you sure it was a good idea to let those two attend school? They're the last people I thought you'd let go."

"Why? Did you and Xenovia want to go as well?"

"W-W-Well, it's not like we don't…but…" Irina played with her fingers.

Seijuro smiled. He stood up and patted her head. "I'll talk to Rias, maybe she can make an exception for you two."

Irina nodded. "Thank you."

"Hey lovebirds," Kasumi shouted. "Hurry up, we gotta start Seijuro's training."

And once again, he found himself in the woods where he, Kasumi, and Magnus had been yesterday. The place was still bashed up, with broken trees and destroyed targets everywhere. Though it did make sense, he still hadn't quite mastered the Gates of Babylon.

"Oh my," Xenovia said. "Did you cause this?"

"Y-Yeah," He blushed. "I still can't get the hand of this."

"Alright," Kasumi said. "You still remember what you did yesterday? I want you to open it again, without the magic circles."

Seijuro nodded. He closed his eyes and imagine the ocean again, with the ripples. Before he knew it, dozens of blades, hammers, spears, and axes had come forth from behind.

"I can't believe he's come this far," Yuuki said. "How's your aim?"

Seijuro shot several weapons at the targets from yesterday, but minimized the power. This time, the weapons simply lodged themselves into the targets without completely wrecking them.

"Nice," Kasumi smirked. "You ready for some combat practice?"

"Kasumi, by the way," Seijuro said. "What type of magic do you use again? You said it was-"

"God Slayer Magic," Kasumi explained. "As far as I know, it's a form of Lost Magic from the era of the Gods. It was supposedly taught to humans by Prometheus when he stole fire for humanity."

Yuuki stepped forward. "God Slayer Magic is rare, extremely rare. It's magic designed to kill anything divine or celestial in nature. Her flames are said to be the very same flames that Prometheus stole from Olympus, the Heavenly Fire."

Seijuro was starting to get it piece by piece. "And you said I taught it to you?"

Kasumi nodded. "I have no idea how you knew anything about Lost Magic, since nobody else in the Vatican had any knowledge of it. You told me it was one of three Caster Type Magic that was lost throughout the eons."

"What are the other two?" Irina asked.

"Dragon Slayer Magic and Devil Slayer Magic," Kasumi explained. "Wanna take a guess as to who created Devil Slayer Magic?"

"L-Lucifer?" Xenovia asked. "Why would he-"

"Well not Lucifer exactly," Kasumi said. She rubbed her head. "It was actually Micheal, the Archangel of Heaven."

Seijuro raised an eyebrow. "Micheal created a form of magic in order to kill Lucifer?"

"It makes sense," Yuuki said. "What is Devil Slayer Magic anyway? I've never heard of it."

Kasumi shrugged. "Hell if I know, Seijuro never went over it. He said it wasn't anything I should worry about any time soon."

"Heh…" Seijuro began to question the type of person he was before all of this. He seemed cold, distant, and extremely calculating. Why would he teach God Slayer Magic to Kasumi? It seemed strange to teach a form of Lost Magic to someone, especially when they were more adept at other forms of magic as well.

"Alright enough talk," Kasumi ignited flames in her fists and smirked. "We're each gonna take turns fighting Seijuro. If I see anyone holding back, I'm gonna burn you."

"E-EH?!" Irina and Yuuki exclaimed.

"Interesting," Xenovia smirked.

Kasumi grinned with arrogance and amusement. "I'm all fired up."

Seijuro gulped.

 **…**

Magnus stood nervously in front of the class, as the teacher began to introduce him to everyone. He hadn't been to school in…years? The last time was when he went to boarding school because his dad forced him, before he became an exorcist. It felt strange being in a classroom with normal humans again, he felt like an outsider peering back into a world he had left behind.

"Magnus, why don't you introduce yourself?"

He stepped forward and took in a breath. "My names Magnus Morgenstern. I'm from America so I still don't really know my way around Japan, but I hope we get along." He bowed and mustered a smile.

"Sensei," A familiar voice said. He looked up to see Himejima Akeno smiling at him. "I can show him around the school if that's alright. He's still new so he might get lost."

"That sounds like an excellent idea Himejima-San," The teacher said. "Magnus, why don't you sit next to Himejima-San?"

"Y-Yes mam," Magnus gulped as he walked over to his seat and sat down.

He looked to his side to see Akeno smiling at him with a quirky grin. "I didn't think you'd actually come today."

"Y-You knew about this?" Magnus asked.

"Of course. Rias told me that we'd be getting some new transfer students today. I hope Yuzuru-Chan gets along with Issei in his class."

Magnus sighed. "Gimme a break."

Akeno giggled. "Whatever the case, I'm happy I get to see you again. We can spend more time together this way."

Magnus felt his face turning red. He looked away and straight to the board. As the teacher began to lecture, he couldn't help but glance over to Akeno every now and then. She was surprisingly diligent, taking notes from everything in the lecture. Magnus on the other hand, leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

He wondered why Seijuro sent him here. Irina or Xenvoia seemed like the better choice since they could fit in better than he. He was a scout, used for recon and intelligence gathering, he wasn't fit for infiltration missions like this.

The bell sounded for lunch, though Magnus was already half asleep with his head on the table. "Magnus, let's go. You wanna see the school don't you?'

"Right," He got up and yawned. "I forgot."

"You know," She leaned in by his ear. "You're pretty cute when you sleep."

"W-W-Whatever, let's just go." He quickly turned as she led the way. What was with this woman? He couldn't keep up with her level of flirtatiousness, it was so overwhelming. He felt like his heart would beat out of his chest every time she spoke to him, but he found himself thinking of her more often than he'd like.

Akeno showed him to the many classrooms and clubs around the school, though he wasn't really interested in any of them, Finally, she led him to the roof where they found some familiar faces.

"Magnus!" Yuzuru waved.

She was with Hyoudou Issei and Asia Argento, so they must have been showing her around as well.

"Hey you guys," Magnus said as he and Akeno joined them.

"Magnus, check it out," He showed him a book. "It's a book of Japanese mythology, this could be pretty useful."

"I can't believe we've been here a day and you're only interested in the library," Magnus sighed. "Why am I not surprised."

"You're a jerk," Yuzuru pouted.

"You two seem to get along pretty well," Akeno giggled.

"Well yeah," Yuzuru clung to his arm. "We grew up together. He's basically my older brother."

"Against my wishes, yes," Magnus said.

"How do you like the school so far, Magnus?" Issei asked.

"It's not anything I haven't seen or read before," Magnus admitted. "But the amount of demonic energy I sense is off the charts."

"You felt it too huh?" Yuzuru asked.

"Well this school is home to many Devils," Akeno explained. "Most of them from Rias' household or Sona's, the Student Council President."

"Sona Sitri?" Yuzuru asked. "Heir to the House of Sitri?"

Akeno nodded. "The one and only."

"So she's Lady Leviathan's younger sister," Magnus said. "Interesting."

"Don't get any funny ideas now, Magnus," Akeno smirked. "I haven't finished teasing you just yet."

Magnus blushed. Yuzuru raised her eyebrow and grinned. "Heh? So you have a thing for Akeno-Senpai, how very interesting indeed."

"S-Shut up idiot," Magnus pushed her away.

Akeno giggled as Issei and Asia looked with confusion.

"Why don't we go to the Occult Research Club?" Issei asked. "I'm sure prez is looking forward to seeing them again."

"That's a good idea," Akeno said. "Let's go."

The Occult Research Clubroom was located in the back of the school, near the woods. It was an abandoned house but Rias started using it for the club activities. Magnus figured it was just a cover up for her household to gather and meet.

The inside was a dimly lit room with bookshelves, a desk in the back, and a coffee table with twin couches facing each other. He had heard Yuuki and Kasumi had wrecked the place when they rescued Kasumi, but it didn't leave any trace of it. He was impressed.

Rias Gremory sat on the couch facing an unfamiliar yet intimidating figure. He had long crimson hair much like Rias…in fact they looked too much alike.

"Oh my," Akeno said. "Lord Sirzechs."

Sirzechs? As in Sirzechs Lucifer? Magnus was immediately on his guard, and apparently so was Yuzuru.

"Magnus, Yuzuru-San," Rias smiled. "I hope you're liking the school so far."

Sirzechs Lucifer stood up and faced them. His demonic power was overwhelming. If Magnus was trained and experienced, he would have collapsed under the pressure.

"Magnus Morgenstern, Arashikage Yuzuru," Sirzechs smiled. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, a shame Hibiki Seijuro isn't here. I wanted to meet him as well."

"Yeah," Magnus said. "A shame."

"You need not be so on guard," He said. "I wish you no harm. I'm here simply to discuss the business of the exorcist army that nears this city. If possible, I would like to avoid internal conflict and face the bigger issue at hand."

"Very well then," Yuzuru stepped forward.

Here we go, Magnus thought. Her alter took over, she was like an entirely different person now. The easy going and quirky girl was gone, before him was a calm and collected, and sometimes cruel, exorcist.

While Magnus and Yuzuru sat together, Rias and Sirzechs sat across from them. Akeno even prepared some tea for them to speak.

"Yuzuru-San," Sirzechs said. "Do you know how many exorcist will be coming?"

"It's hard to tell, but assuming that they really do want us dead," Yuzuru said. "Maybe a thousand, but they're trained and dangerous. Some of them are Holy Sword users, they are not to be underestimated."

"I wouldn't dream of it," The Devil King smiled. "And will you be joining the fight as well?"

Yuzuru shook her head. "My specialty isn't in combat, I prefer to organize and lead from the distance."

"I see," He sipped his tea. "And what about you, Magnus?"

"I'll be fighting," He replied simply and quick, in a monotone voice.

"Might I ask about your strengths?" Sirzechs asked. "I have heard of your reputation, but never have I seen you in actual combat. The Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Please don't call me that," Magnus sighed. "None of us really particularly like the names that the Church gave to us. As for my strengths, I'm a magic user. That's all you need to know."

"Magnus," Yuzuru said. "No need to be so hostile."

He looked to Yuzuru. Normally he would be frustrated with her, but he knew how dangerous that would be with the way she is now. He buckled and sighed.

Holding out his hand, he created a pentagon with magic circles at each point and showed the elements. "I'm a magic user, as I said, but my body doesn't have a limiter to restrict me to using only one or two forms of magic. They call me the Sorcerer Supreme because it's a surprisingly accurate title. All forms of magic are open to me, though I prefer elemental based magic."

"I see, you are indeed as powerful as your reputation," Sirzechs smiled. "And your friends?"

Before Magnus could reply, Yuzuru took over for him. "They, aren't here at the moment. I've had enough of this trivial conversation, Devil King. What is it that you want, really?"

Sirzechs set his cup down and crossed his legs. "Are you in any position to be so bold? I understand that each of you are incredibly powerful, but don't think you can be a match for-"

"I should be asking you the same question, Devil King," Yuzuru cut him off, to everyone's horror. "Do not think that just because I prefer the solitude of commanding that I am not capable of holding my own against even the likes of you. Your time as the Devil King has truly jaded your eyes to your friends and enemies, Sirzechs."

"Y-Yuzuru, I think you should-"

Sirzechs burst out laughing. "I can't believe how long it's been since someone's spoken to me like that. Worry not, Yuzuru-San, I'm not looking to fight you or your friends. I simply wanted to see your reaction, that's all."

"What, is that all?" Yuzuru smirked. "And here I thought I'd have an opportunity to fight the Devil King himself."

Sirzechs grinned. "Maybe another time, Angel of Death." He stood up and stretched.

"O-Onii-Sama," Rias said.

"It's time I take my leave," Sirzechs said. "It was extremely fun speaking to you two. I'll see you later." He vanished with a magic circle.

There was a moment of silence as everyone locked their eyes onto Yuzuru. For a moment she had a stern face, but then she blinked several times and returned to normal.

"Magnus," She said, gulping. "That was really scary."

"You're telling me!" He shouted. "You went and challenged the fricking Devil King!"

"I kind of thought I'd provoke him to see what he does," She said awkwardly scratching her cheek.

"You crazy bitch!"

"I can't believe you talked to him that way," Rias said. "I've never heard anyone say anything like that to him."

"S-Sorry, Rias-Senpai," Yuzuru bowed her head.

Rias sighed, but smiled. "He's right you know, you two are definitely interesting."

Magnus stood up. "We'll seeing as we missed our last two classes, might as well go on home."

"Y-Yeah," Yuzuru stood up. "Sorry Magnus."

"Don't apologize to me idiot," He said. "Apologize to Seijuro if the Devil King picks a fight with us."

"What? You don't think we'll win?" She smirked.

"Please," He scoffed. "I'm just worried this city won't survive the ass beating we'll give him."

"Y-You two…" Rias said. "You really think you can beat Onii-Sama?"

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Of course we do."

"What kind of question is that, Senpai?" Yuzuru smiled.

"Y-You're completely out of your minds…" Rias said.

Magnus and Yuzuru began for the door, however Yuzuru stopped and turned to Rias. "Oh, and about the army of exorcists. They'll be here by tomorrow night, prepare for war."

 **…**

Seijuro panted for breath as he looked onto his opponent. He had no idea fighting Yuuki would be this difficult. It wasn't though he couldn't hit her, but it was the problem of keeping up with her speed. Her spacial magic was incredible powerful, she always teleported away before he could make a move.

"What's wrong Sei-Chan? Don't tell me you're tired," She smirked.

"As if," He wiped the sweat his forehead and gripped his sword.

Yuuki made her move. She jumped to the sky and materialized dozens of the same kunai knife and shot them at Seijuro. He was able to jump back and dodged them, but now the entire battlefield was littered with those markers. She could use any one of them to attack. He had to be extremely careful.

She threw a knife at him. Seijuro moved his head and dodged it, but she appeared behind him and kicked him forward. She appeared in front of him before he could get on his feet and pressed her hand against his stomach. A pillar of light formed and shot him back and broke a tree.

Hard Light, a form of magic that Yuuki developed herself without anyone's help. Inspired by the Angels themselves, she used magic to compress light itself to give it physical form. The magic by itself wasn't much to scoff at, but it was how she used it that made her extremely dangerous. That light pillar was the least of his worries.

"You're slow!" She appeared in front of him with a knife in her hand and stabbed at him.

Time seemed to slow down in his mind. He grabbed Yuuki's wrist before she could come any closer and plunged his fist into her chest, pushing her back. But before she could use her magic again, he shot a spear from the Gates with much greater force then before. As it shot out, he grabbed it and used it's momentum to shoot himself towards her.

"That's not gonna work!" Yuuki grabbed his arm and leg and flipped him on the ground before he could make another move. She had him pinned on the ground with a knife at his throat. "Looks like you lose."

"Think again Yuuki," Kasumi sighed.

She turned around to see that multiple weapons were already inches away from her. "Y-You're kidding me! You did that on purpose to keep me from moving?"

Seijuro smiled and got up, patting her head. "Looks like I'm getting better huh?"

"I….Idiot…"

"My, my," A voice said from the trees. "You're stronger than before. I hope you continue to grow, Divine Supremacy."

Seijuro looked to the voice to see a boy in his late teens with spiky silver hair and blue eyes. His appearance seemed to mirror that of Seijuro's. Someone else was with him, a girl wearing a kimono with long black hair and…cat ears?

"V-Vali?" Yuuki asked. "What are you doing here?"

Kasumi, Irina, and Xenovia quickly got in front of Seijuro, as if preparing for a fight. "Relax, I'm not here to fight, at least not yet anyway. I came to ask about the problem you seem to have gotten yourselves into."

Seijuro sighed. "The exorcist army will be here any time soon and I'm no where near strong enough to fight them."

"Well yes, that is indeed a problem, but not the one I'm referring to," Vali smirked. "Your memories, it seems they've been stolen, haven't they?"

"Stolen?" Seijuro asked.

"That's impossible," Yuuki said. "We would've-"

"You would have what?" Vali asked. "It's impossible to tell the difference between stolen and blocked memories. And I'm assuming you've already tried spells to take off the block, or else his memories would have returned, am I wrong?"

Yuuki clicked her tongue.

"What's your point?" Kasumi asked.

"I think I can help you," Vali smirked. "I know how to retrieve your memories."

 **Author's Note - Hey everybody, sorry for the wait. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I wanted to make Sirzechs a bit of an antagonist since he's always so nice in the anime. I'll also go into detail about each one of their magic abilities, especially Kasumi and Yuzuru, in later chapters so I hope you guys stick around. Anyways, hope you liked it and see you soon :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

Tsukasa was hidden among the trees as he scouted for the exorcist army. They were surprisingly well hidden. Several mages deployed environmental barriers to shield their location, and with the use of magic items, they were able to hide the presence of their magic by suppressing their magic pressure. To the outside world, and even to many High Class Devils, they were completely hidden. However not to Tsukasa.

He was well familiar with the magic items the Church uses to conceal their presence. You can't find what you're looking for if you don't already know. All he had to do was search for the magic pressure of a specific person, and his eyes would find them.

They were several miles away from Kuoh, hidden in the dense forest to the North. The encampment was very well guarded, guards posted in every entry point with the main tent in the middle. Tsukasa figured that they'd send someone who was familiar with their combat style, someone who had a close connection to any of their members if they were going to strike hard. Tsukasa never expected them to send _him._

He watched from a few kilometers outside of the camp, using his Hunter's Eye for a closer look. He was able to focus in on a target and it acted as a magnifying glass, he could see the magic pressure of anyone he looked at as well as have 20/20 vision with a 360 degree range.

"Yo, whatcha looking at?"

Tsukasa smirked. "I didn't expect you to come so soon, Vin."

Tsukasa stood and turned around. Standing before him was the second best marksman in the Church. Wielder of the Crimson Peak Sacred Gear, Vanessa Everheart. She had grown since the last time Tsukasa's seen her. Her black hair had been cut to just above her shoulders. She wore a pair of thin glasses in front of those green eyes and a playful smile on her face.

"You think I wouldn't find you?" Vin asked. "How long were we partners for, and you didn't think I'd know you well enough by now." She shrugged.

Tsukasa smiled. "Under other circumstances, I would greet you with open arms. I'm sorry it had to be like this."

"I'm sorry," Vin said. "But I don't think I can be friends with heretics who murdered one of our High Chancellors."

Tsukasa sighed. "It's a lot more complicated then that, Vin. Please, we don't have to-"

"Don't worry Tsukasa, I'm not looking for a fight," She said. "That's gonna spoil the fun tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" He narrowed his eyes. "So that's when you're making your move? Why would you tell me that?"

"Because I'm not a fan of surprise attacks," She held up her fists. "I'd rather fight my opponent head on, you know that."

Tsukasa grinned. "You really have changed, have you?"

"There's also something else you should know," Vin said. "Heaven has decided to cooperate with us in this attack. They're sending a vanguard, Tsukasa."

He thought as much. There's no way Heaven would leave the exorcists to do this alone. He figured they'd either send Lord Dulio or Lady Griselda. Things were worse than he imagined.

"Are you going to tell your garrison leader that I was here?"

Vin shook her head and smiled. "Heretic or not, you were still my partner. Whatever you've seen, I'll let you go. But know that the next time we meet, it'll be as enemies on the field of war." And with that, she was gone with the wind.

Tsukasa sighed and glanced back at the encampment. "This should be interesting." He grinned, before heading back to the safe house.

 **…**

"Explain yourself Vali," Kasumi ordered.

Seijuro still couldn't process what he had just been told. His memories weren't just blocked, they were stolen? Who in the world could have enough power to do such a thing? And how exactly was Vali going to help him retrieve them?

"There's only one person I know who could steal someone's memories," Vali said with a smirk. "You guys should know her as well. The former Paladin, The Sword of Damacles, Kurogami Hana."

Kurogami Hana, the former Paladin that appointed Seijuro as her successor. He had no memories of her save for the dream he had, but her connection to him and his team runs deeper than that. Judging by the looks on Kasumi and Yuuki's faces, Vali was telling the truth.

"Why would Lady Hana steal Seijuro-Kun's memories?" Irina asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"Who knows, I'm not interested in trivial things such as that," Vali shrugged. "But I know of a way to retrieve them."

The woman behind him walked forward. She had long black hair that ran down her back with bright golden eyes and a quirky smile. She wore a loose kimono with her shoulders exposed, as well as her breasts (which were on the larger side). She also had cat ears and two tails coming from behind.

"We meet again, Tachiba Yuuki," She ended her sentence with a _meow_.

"Kuroka," Yuuki said.

"You two know each other?" Seijuro asked.

"Not exactly…" Yuuki replied.

"Kuroka is a master of space-time magic," Vali explained. "Combined with Senjutsu, she can take you back to when you lost your memories, and hopefully fill in the gaps and jog your memory forcefully. It's not exactly retrieving them, but it's a start, something you all clearly haven't gotten anywhere with."

Kasumi ignited her flames. "And why exactly should we trust you?"

"You shouldn't," He smirked. "But that decision is entirely up to you. I'm merely proposing a possible solution to a problem none of you have been able to come close to solving."

What is this…magic pressure. It was coming off of Vali in waves. Seijuro was able to sense magic now, but he had never felt anything like this, not even from Yuuki and the others. It was a powerful, bloodthirsty aura that to any normal person would make them collapse.

"I do have a condition, however," Vali said.

"And what would that be?" Yuuki asked.

"You simply have to survive the attack you're about to experience," Vali grinned. "Survive, and I'll be back."

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?" Kuroka asked with a wink to Seijuro.

"Until then, Divine Supremacy."

"Bye bye," Kuroka waved as she and Vali disappeared within a magic circle.

The four of them were left speechless and confused. Seijuro turned to see Kasumi and Yuuki shaken to their core, Irina and Xenovia seemed equally confused. "So…what now?" Seijuro asked.

"We cannot trust him," Yuuki said. "Who knows what he'll do if we give him access to your brain."

"We have a bigger problem then that," Kasumi said. "He said we have to _survive_ the attack from the Church."

It dawned on him and everyone. "Just how big of a force are they coming at us with…" Irina asked, shaking.

"You don't think they'd send _her,_ do you?" Xenovia asked.

Kasumi crossed her arms. "Looking at us and what we can do, most likely so."

"We're in deep, deep trouble," Yuuki sighed.

Seijuro blinked a few times before speaking. "What's going on?"

"They Church, or rather Heaven, is going to send their ace in the whole against us…" Yuuki said.

"What? Dulio? Isn't he on our side?" Seijuro asked.

Kasumi shook her head. "No, they wouldn't send a loose cannon like that idiot. Much, much, MUCH worse."

Seijuro was beginning to worry, a lot. Kasumi wasn't one to be scared easily, but he could see how terrified she was. She was hiding it rather well, but her arms and legs had started to shake. It was the same for the other three, Xenovia in particular seemed as if she was experiencing a traumatic event.

"Who is it?" He asked, regrettably.

"The most powerful female exorcist, and a Reincarnated Angel," Xenovia said, balling her fist. "The Queen of Gabrielle, Griselda."

 **…**

Seijuro stood by the round table, back in the safe house. Everyone had convened, everyone from his garrison, Rias Gremory and her peerage, as well as Sona Sitri and her peerage. Yuzuru had explained to them what the Church's plan would most likely be. A holographic image of Kuoh appeared above the round table.

"Mages will most likely seal off the entire city and put every human in it to sleep using a magic item called The Orb of Morpheus. They'll most likely avoid any casualties to humans since they need them for the sacrifice." Yuzuru explained. "Archers and marksman will probably be posted on top of every skyscraper and building all along the edge of the city to give them eyes everywhere. Their main forces will most likely be split into two or three depending on how many garrison leaders they brought…however there's an issue we still don't have an answer to."

An image of a woman in her late twenties or early thirties appeared. She wore a sister's outfit, with long flowing blonde hair and sea blue eyes.

"B-But that's…" Asia said.

Yuzuru nodded. "This is Lady Griselda, one of the strongest exorcists in the Church as well as Lady Gabrielle's Queen. She is Heaven's ace in the whole against invaders. Her strength is…"

"Let's just say she's not someone any of us can handle alone," Kasumi said.

"Which is why we're not all going to facing her," Seijuro said. "Kasumi, Magnus, Issei, and myself will be the ones taking her on."

"W-What? Wait a minute-" Issei protested.

"The Divine Supremacy, God of Retribution, Sorcerer Supreme, and Red Dragon Emperor taking on the single strongest piece on the board," Rias said. "Honestly I still don't like our odds."

"Neither do I," Seijuro sighed. "I hate to admit it, but if she's here, our chances of coming out of this are extremely slim to none." Everyone's hopes seem to dwindle. "However, which is why we're going to act as distractions. The rest of you will split into teams and take out the invading forces, once they're done, everyone will reconvene at our location. We might have a chance if we ALL fight her together."

"I'll be here, along with Lady Sitri to call out orders and give you guys information as the battle goes on," Yuzuru said. "Tsubaki-San, you'll be leading your peerage to the south. I'm going to assume that that's where the majority of their marksman will be."

"What makes you think so?" Rias asked.

"Southern Kuoh is the major tourist spot, major buildings, hotels, and skyscrapers are there. It's perfect terrain for any marksman." Yuzuru explained.

"Won't they see us coming from miles away?" Tsubaki Shinra, Sona Sitri's queen, asked.

"Which is why I want Tsukasa to go with you," Yuzuru explained. "He'll handle the scouts so the main force will be up for the taking. But be careful, while he's an excellent archer, don't underestimate the abilities of these archers. Most of them have been trained to shoot to kill before asking any questions, isn't that right Tsukasa?"

Tsukasa crossed his arms. "My students were taught well, unfortunately."

"Students!?" Seijuro asked.

Tsukasa smirked. "You're not the only one who can teach others magic Seijuro."

Apart of him wasn't surprised as he had thought. Tsukasa was an amazing archer, of course he would have a squad to lead.

"Lady Gremory," Yuzuru said. "You and your peerage will handle the forces to the east. That's where their major force will be. Irina, Xenovia, I also want you two to go with them to provide additional support."

"Understood," Both of them said in unison.

"We might have a problem with that," Tsukasa chimed in. "Irina, your father is leading that garrison."

Seijuro looked to Irina, who was wide eyed in shock. "H-Her father?" Seijuro asked.

"Shidou Touji," Yuzuru sighed. "I wasn't expecting him to come, he's supposed to be in Europe. Irina, you can join-"

"No," She stepped forward. "Right now he's my enemy, I can do it."

"Irina, you don't have to force yourself," Seijuro said.

She smiled. "I'm okay, thank you Seijuro-Kun."

Seijuro wanted to say something, but Yuzuru cut him off. "Alright, that settles it. As for the force to the west…"

Yuuki punched her palm. "I got this."

Seijuro hadn't realized that all of their forces were spread so thin, Yuuki was the only left to fight the entirety of the western force. He realized how powerful she was, but this was too…

"Yuzuru, maybe I should-"

"I'll be fine, Sei-Chan," Yuuki smirked. "It's been far too long since I've been able to let loose and run wild. This is going to interesting."

Seijuro sighed. "Where's Dulio went you actually need him."

"Alright then, that's it for the battle plan," Yuzuru concluded. "Once everyone's done, we'll all meet up in the northern front. It's nothing but mountains but that's where Griselda will be. I'll guarantee it."

Everyone dispersed and talked in their respective groups. "Irina…" Seijuro said. "Are you sure about this? He's your dad…"

"I'll be okay Seijuro-Kun," She smiled.

"This is gonna be a bitch and a half," Magnus sighed. "We have to keep that monster from entering the city until all of their forces are wiped out. There's no way it'll be that easy."

"Of course not," Yuzuru said. "War never goes as planned. You come up with a strategy as best as you can, and when it fails, you strategize again. It's a game of chess."

"I don't think you should be thinking of this as a game anyway," magnus sighed.

"Any word from Dulio?" Seijuro asked.

Yuuki shook her head. "He won't answer my prayers."

"Where is he anyways," Seijuro clicked his tongue. "That bastard's never here when we need him."

"We'll be fine," Yuzuru reassured them. "I believe in everyone's strength. Plus I'll be leading us from here."

"What if they attack here?" Seijuro asked.

"Then I feel extremely bad for whoever has that misfortune," Magnus said. "That's like asking to die."

Seijuro gulped.

"Yuzuru-San is a lot scarier then you think she is, Seijuro-Kun," Irina whispered.

"Don't worry about Yuzuru," Yuuki smiled. "She'll be fine."

"Oh by the way," Seijuro said. "I had forgotten about it until now," He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch. "What is this thing anyway? I know it's a pocket watch but you seemed extra angry when you found out I lent it to Issei."

"Oh I totally forgot!" Yuuki said. "Everyone, pull out your pocket watch."

Everyone did as told. They held them out to form a circle. Yuuki held out her hand as a light shinned. Next thing Seijuro knew, there were enochian sigils on the back of the pocket watches. "Just in case I need to get to any of you, these are marked so it's like a beacon." She walked over to Xenovia and Irina and handed them both a kunai knife. "Here, these are for you guys. Just in case I need to get to you."

"T-Thank you, Yuuki-San," Irina said.

"This will come in handy, huh?" Xenovia said.

"I'll be back," Tsukasa said. "I need to talk to someone."

"Alright, don't take too long," Seijuro said.

"Me too," Magnus said, as he walked off.

Seijuro wondered where those two were going off to, but he didn't wanna meddle too much. Rias and the others were getting ready to leave since it was getting late.

"I'm gonna go outside for some fresh air," Irina said.

Seijuro watched as she walked away. "Don't worry," It was Xenovia. "She's a strong girl, she'll be okay."

"But her father…"

"He was the one who trained her to be an exorcist," Xenovia explained. "She's learned a lot from him, but she's strong. She'll be okay." And with that, Xenovia went off to join her partner outside.

 **…**

It was almost midnight, but Seijuro's mind was too occupied to sleep. He climbed to the top of an abandoned building under construction and stared off into the city.

He thought about all the lives that he has touched, even if he couldn't remember. These exorcists they were about to fight, they weren't just mindless soldiers off to die in a war. They were people, with lives to come back to. They had friends, family, loved ones. They're all being manipulated by the High Chancellors to fight without knowing the truth. He couldn't bear the think about ending those lives…

"Sei-Chan," It was Yuuki. She walked up behind him and yawned. "What are you doing up here? You're supposed to asleep."

"Me? What about you?" Seijuro smirked.

"I rolled over and you weren't in bed," Yuuki said. "I just felt Kasumi's boobs and knew something was up." She took a seat besides him. "What's up? We haven't had a chance to actually talk in awhile have we."

Seijuro smiled. "Do you think I've changed?"

Yuuki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Every time I think about it," Seijuro said. "I always come to the conclusion that I've changed. The old Seijuro, he feels so much more distant than how I am now. It feels like he was colder, much more resolved. Kasumi told me that I'm still me, but I can never let go of how I saw myself…"

Yuuki placed her hand on top of his hand. "I'll admit, that you've warmed up a lot since losing your memories, but you're still the same Sei-Chan I've always known."

"Would you mind telling me how we met?" Seijuro asked. "I know it's something I should know, but…"

Yuuki smiled. She lifted up her shirt just a little bit, and even though Seijuro was embarrassed, his eyes were locked onto her chest. Running across her chest, from her right shoulder to her upper left abdomen was a scar. It was a jagged and ferocious scar that had healed over time, but it was scary to think of what had caused it.

"Yuuki…"

"I was 7 when it happened," Yuuki explained. "My parents had taken me to an amusement park for my birthday. I had to go to the bathroom, but when I stepped out, the entire park was dead quiet. I suddenly heard screaming, and when I turned to see…there was blood everywhere. People in these black clothing massacred almost everybody in the park. I ran for my parents, but when I found them, they were already dead. There was a man standing over their corpses, and he looked at me…I thought I was going to die."

Seijuro gulped.

"But then these chains came out of nowhere and bounded him, and Nemea jumped at him. However he broke free and escaped, along with most of the others by the time you and the Church arrived. You took me in, gave me a home, made me feel like I wasn't alone when all I felt as emptiness." Yuuki smiled with tears coming from her eyes. "You saved my life, Sei-Chan. That's a debt I'll never be able to repay, so I'll follow you no matter where you go. I'll always be with you, even if the world is against you."

Seijuro felt his heart skip a beat. What was this warm feeling in his chest…it felt like he couldn't breath. He felt so much blood pumping all throughout his body.

"No," Seijuro shook his head. "You shouldn't follow me, Yuuki."

"Sei-Chan?"

"I don't want you or the others to just follow me wherever I go," He smiled and laced his fingers around hers. "I want all of you to walk besides me, not as superiors and subordinates, but as equals."

"Sei-Chan…" Yuuki stared at him. To his surprise, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yuuki…"

"Just let me stay like this for a little while longer," She said, starting to cry.

Seijuro looked up to the sky and wondered what their lives would have been like if none of this craziness had happened. If they had all been able to go school together and lived normal lives.

"Yeah," He smiled and rested his head on hers. "As long as you want."

 **…**

Why did it hurt so much…Why did Tsukasa felt as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest as he watched his best friends sit together like that. He was certain that he didn't know he was watching, but he noticed Yuuki stepping out and followed her up. He knew he shouldn't have, but he was curious.

He didn't know when he had developed feelings for Yuuki, it was far too long ago that he had no clear knowledge of it's origins. All he knew was that he didn't want anything to happen to her. He wanted to protect her with everything he has. He knew she liked Seijuro, it was always so clear. He kept everything hidden, because he valued their bond over anything else…so why was he crying so much seeing them together.

Tsukasa grabbed his chest. He knew there wasn't a chance, he knew there would never be a chance. She's liked Seijuro even before Tsukasa joined the garrison. From day one, he knew. He knew his feelings were a burden, not only on him but everyone. He tried so hard to keep it all inside, but it was getting harder and harder by the day.

With his best friends sitting by the ledge, he turned and walked away. He was about to head back inside the safe house when he found Isaiah, or rather Kiba Yuuto in front of the door.

"Yuuto," Tsukasa said. "What are you doing here? It's late."

Yuuto turned to face him. He had a saddened look on his face, as if he had been crying. "Senpai…did you really leave us?"

Tsukasa was caught off guard. "I would never leave you, Yuuto. You're basically my brother."

"So why did you?" He asked, balling his fist.

Tsukasa couldn't meet his eyes. "They were planning on using you for an experiment." He shouldn't be telling him this. "It was a procedure to enhance a Holy Sword wielder's dormant strength. It was supposed to alter your DNA, and it was extremely painful. You were supposed to be the one to go through that procedure, Yuuto. But before they could take you, I made a bargain with them. Since my body was older than yours, I would have a better chance at surviving. I asked to take your place."

"Y…You…what?" Yuuto asked, speechless.

"You're my brother, Isaiah," Tsukasa walked closer to him. "No matter how much you may hate me, no matter how much you may want to kill me, that fact will never change. Everything I did, I did for you to live. I never expected you to escape, let alone the others helping you. But I'm glad you lived. I just wished I could have done something to help everyone else."

Yuuto gritted his teeth, and punched Tsukasa in the face. He didn't budge, he simply took the punch. "I hate you! Why are you always like this…putting others before yourself…letting yourself go through so much…just for…WHY?"

Tsukasa grabbed Isaiah's head and pulled him into a hug. "Because I have and always will love you, Isaiah. I'll always protect you, even if it means I might die."

"Why…I should have died…I should have died with the others…" Isaiah began to cry in his arms. "Why was I the only one…It's not fair!"

"I'm sorry," Tsukasa could only hold him as his emotions let loose.

He had always wanted to apologize to Isaiah, but after the Seijuro liberated him from that hell hole, Isaiah had already escaped. He never expected him to become a Devil, but he was happy his little brother lived. His biggest regret was never telling him how he felt…at least now that's over with.

Isaiah suddenly broke away. "I'm going home. Big day ahead."

Tsukasa smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Good night, little brother."

"Isaiah," Yuuto said, to Tsukasa's surprise. "My name is Isaiah." And with that, he vanished with a magic circle.

Tsukasa was left standing in the dark, tears coming out and smiling. How long had it been since he'd seen that smile on Isaiah's face. It's been so long he couldn't remember. _Thank you for letting me see him again God_ , Tsukasa thought.

"So you done stalking Yuuki and Seijuro?" A voice said from the donut shop.

Tsukasa turned to see Magnus, wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt and shorts. "You know it's not healthy to keep all those emotions locked away like that. One day, it'll-"

"Yeah," He looked up to the building where Yuuki and Seijuro were sitting on. He could still see them, sitting side by side with each other. "I know."


End file.
